Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 29, 2007 - Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:3-11 and Luke 2:22-35]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 shall pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
This weekend I will be administering the sacrament of Baptism to the infant son of a couple whose wedding I celebrated several years ago. It is their first child. Grandparents and friends will be there. The dad is an educator and the mom a medical doctor. For all intents and purposes, this little boy should have a very bright future! That would be the hope of his proud mom and dad and family. There will be much joy to go around! Imagine if a person known locally for their piety happens to be in the church and walks up after the ceremony and makes the kind of statements that Simeon made to Mary and Joseph! I imagine the family would be taken aback, to say the least. The response might be, "Well, we just hope he will be happy and healthy!" Still, the future is more difficult to read now! The options are so many! In Jesus' time, his future would have been determined by the fact that Joseph was a carpenter. The social world of the Palestinian peasant was not a wide one and indeed "getting above one's station" could mean trouble! In America, the whole idea is to "get above one's station!" Yet Simeon is overjoyed because God's promise to him had been fulfilled! So, in the midst of their joy and his joy, he makes a sobering statement. But could any of us do anything different today? We know the things that are available to our young people - good things and terrifying things. The grandparents of the child can reminisce about when the mom and dad were baptized. What was hoped "back then?" Luke is writing from a perspective about 50-70 years after Jesus' death! Surely Mary and Joseph, for all that the angel had told either of them, would not have anticipated Jesus' ultimate earthly fate? All of this makes the story of the "presentation in the temple" one of ambiguous joy! I will pray that the future of the baby boy will be happy and healthy and filled with God's love and mercy. That's as much as any of us can hope nowadays! AMEN