Monday, December 29, 2025 - Dec. 29 - 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:3-11 and Luke 2:22-35]
"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." [Luke]
Today and tomorrow, the gospel scripture will be taken from the account of the "presentation" of Jesus in the temple. The words spoken by Simeon (quoted above) who takes the infant Jesus into his own arms are repeated every evening at Night Prayer (Compline) in the Liturgy of the Hours. These words are truly words of joy and gratitude at the fulfillment of two promises!
The first promise is the one Simeon received from the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen "the Christ of the Lord." The second fulfilled promise is the one God gave to Israel that there would be a Messiah. What Simeon experienced was more than personal. It transcended his joy to encompass the world. Yet, his joy is tempered by his prophetic realization of a dangerous future for Jesus (and his mother).
Tomorrow, the same story will feature the widow, Anna, who also encounters Jesus, Mary and Joseph on the same occasion. I will have more to say about her tomorrow, but it has struck me (at age 82) that this gospel story features two elderly people. I know I pray for the fulfillment of promise that I have seen in so many student parishioners over the years and the joy I experience when I see that promise blossom in their lives. Simeon and Anna are deep symbols of hope realized and faith rewarded! AMEN
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