29 December 2022

The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas (Saint Thomas à Becket, Bishop and Martyr)

Simeon is a man of patience. The Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ, the Lord’s Anointed One whom so many generations of Israelites have longed for. We do not know when the Spirit revealed this to him; perhaps it happened when Simeon was still a young man. We can imagine this young Simeon coming before the Lord in prayer day after day, wondering if this day might be the one when he will see the Messiah. Imagine this waiting continuing for years, as Simeon slowly grows older. There is a great temptation for his expectation to wane, for Simeon to doubt the Lord’s promise. It takes determination and an act of will for Simeon to maintain his hope. 

Simeon must also allow the Lord to re-fashion his expectations with time. Perhaps Simeon first expected to meet the Messiah when he was fully grown, a powerful military leader who would liberate the Jewish people from the Romans. But now, when he finally encounters him, he sees that the Lord’s Anointed is a mere child, and he takes him into his arms with joy.

Today, let us contemplate the patience of Simeon, asking the Lord that he might grant us the same patience and trust in His promises.