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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 – to teach us the value of patience.
God promised Simeon that he would see the Christ before his death. But tradition tells us that Simeon was now 120 years old.. and still waiting. Imagine the ache in his bones, and the hope in his heart, that each day would be the day… and it wasn’t.
Suddenly, everything changes.
Luke tells us that Simeon entered the Temple that day, “and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Meaning, he had a sixth sense, eyes of faith. Thus, when Mary and Joseph presented the Christ-child to him, he recognized exactly who it was.
Overcome with gratitude, Simeon cries out, “Lord, now you may let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled.”
While God may have waited until the last minute of the last day of this man’s life to reveal himself, he kept his word.
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We can also feel like God is delayed in keeping his word, or acting in our own lives. Think of how many promises Jesus makes to us:
“Come to me, all of you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
“Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you.”
“Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you.”
And yet, how many of us are still waiting for divine comfort, for peace, or for that open door to come?
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Simeon reminds us that God will act. But remember that God is not only present in the answer; he is also present in the waiting; in the stillness; in the hope that salvation will come.
As the Psalmist reminds us, “A thousand years in your eyes are merely a day gone by.”
It’s hard being patient, especially with Someone whom we cannot control, yet are entirely dependent upon. But good things come to those who wait, even a “thousand years.”
To God, it’s merely a day gone by.
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Image credits: (1) Expedition of the Soul (2) Simeon Holding Jesus, Andrey Shishkin (3) Living the Everyday