Simeon, a righteous and devout man of Israel, had received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that before his death he would behold the Messiah, “the Christ of the Lord” (Lk 2:26). We do not know how long Simeon was waiting, we do not know how old he was when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple. How many people had crossed his path, how many times must he have turned his head wondering when a family brought a male child to be presented to the Lord, “Is this the one?”
Today we recall the time when the One indeed did come, the presentation of Jesus in the temple, the day in which Simeon’s waiting, his growing anticipation, comes to fulfillment. “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (cf. Lk 2:29-32). He can now go to his eternal rest in peace.
In Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus in the Temple, this is more than a pious act. In the presence of this infant, the glory of God had returned to the Temple, just as Malachi foretold in our first reading: “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek” (Malachi 3:1). What Simeon said and experienced as he held up this baby, is still true for us today. Jesus the Christ has come to us, to lead us “out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9), for, Jesus is the Temple, the embodiment of the Living God, where heaven and earth meet, where the divine and human have been wedded.
May we spend some time in prayer today imagining ourselves holding the infant Jesus in our arms, as did Simeon, looking into his eyes, and allowing his smile and his giggle to fill us with his unconditional love and joy. As we adjust and cradle him in the crook of our arm and reach a hand to him, may we allow him to grasp our finger. In that simple touch, may we experience a warmth that radiates through our entire being melting all anxiety, doubt, and/or fear away.
May this warmth, light, and love of Jesus gently reveal to us anything that separates us from God. As we identify what Jesus invites us to let go of, may we do so, and experience his forgiveness, reconciliation, and freedom. From this moment of experiencing Jesus in our time and place, may we give our life to him all the more so that he may be first in our lives before anyone and anything else. Then we will better be able to radiate his light, love, mercy, and forgiveness to lead others “out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Painting: Simeon holding Jesus by Andrey Shishkin, 2012
Spiritual Stepping Stones 