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Gospel: Luke 2: 22-35
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This will be our only encounter with Simeon in scripture. But he appears for a very particular reason. Simeon teaches us the value of trust.
Although it feels at times like God is delayed, Simeon reminds us that God is faithful; the Lord acts in our lives.
But God’s timing is different from ours. As we hear in the Psalms, “In your eyes, a thousand years are like a day gone by.”
God isn’t in a rush.
In Simeon’s case, the Lord promised that he would appear to him before his death. Although the Lord waited until Simeon was frail, he kept his promise. He acted. He appeared in the child Jesus.
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Simeon’s experience of waiting reminds me a bit of this last year at Saint Pius X. You prayed for a pastor for almost six months.
It must’ve felt like a thousand years, but for God, “a thousand years are like a day gone by.”
I wonder how many of us didn’t give up hope; how many trusted like Simeon that God would act?
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Perhaps we’re waiting on another prayer to be answered. An illness to be cured; a vaccine; a job; a relationship to be mended.
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It’s hard being patient. But good things come to those who wait. The key is remembering that for God, “a thousand years are like a day gone by.”
It takes time, but the Lord will act.
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