Every night, all over the world, religious men and women, priests, deacons and many lay people recite a few verses from today’s gospel, Luke 2: 22-40. The verses are used during Night Prayer which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours. They form a prayer called the Nunc dimittis: “Lord, now 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.” This is Simeon’s prayer that he offered after seeing the baby Jesus in the Temple forty days after his birth.
Simeon’s story is the centrepiece of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord that we celebrate today. It’s another epiphany, an appearance or manifestation of a divine being. In this case the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that the forty day old baby he held in his arms was “the Christ of the Lord.” The Spirit promised Simeon that he would not die until he actually saw the Messiah. Holding the child, Simeon rejoiced and proclaimed his beautiful prayer of thanksgiving. For Simeon the child represented the end of his life. Like John the Baptist, Simeon was a messenger who must diminish so that the mission of Jesus could be fulfilled.
After giving Joseph and Mary a blessing, Simeon has some challenging words for Mary, “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.” This is the paradox of the feast we celebrate today. It is a feast of joy and light. In other countries it often is called Candlemas when candles are blessed and lit to reflect Christ as our Light. However Simeon’s words to Mary remind us that there is a price to pay for following the Light of Christ. For Simeon and John the Baptist the price was death. For Mary the price was the pain she would experience when her son was crucified.
The challenge for us on this Feast Day is to commit to the demands placed on us as followers of Christ. The life of a Christian is not all sweetness and light. However, we can pray that the Light of Christ will illuminate our life’s journey so that we like Simeon, will see “the salvation which [God has] prepared in the sight of every people.
God our Father,
you spoke your mighty word to the world
and there was light.
You have spoken your Word Jesus Christ among us
and there is light in our minds and hearts.
Do not allow us to keep this light of Jesus
hidden but let it shine in our words and deeds,
that it may brighten the footsteps
of all people in search of the truth.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord
who is the light and the guiding star of our lives,
Amen.
you spoke your mighty word to the world
and there was light.
You have spoken your Word Jesus Christ among us
and there is light in our minds and hearts.
Do not allow us to keep this light of Jesus
hidden but let it shine in our words and deeds,
that it may brighten the footsteps
of all people in search of the truth.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord
who is the light and the guiding star of our lives,
Amen.
