(Rembrandt)
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go . . ."
Sunday Readings: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/020214.cfm
More
than any other prayer, more than any desire, how often have most of us prayed
for patience? Parents are often struck
by that need in raising their children. How typical is it these days to
recognize how impatient we can be driving in congested traffic, or waiting in
line at the movie theatre, grocery store, even a buffet line at a
restaurant. “Let’s move it along.” “What’s
taking you so long?”
If
you’re standing behind someone, we find the person in front of you may apologize,
or not, for taking “such a long time” in making a decision. What’s it been – 30
seconds? “Slow down,” “take a deep
breath,” “count to ten,” “say three Hail Mary’s,” are things we may do to calm
our restless heart. I’ve often said it’s
the one prayer that is consistently answered by God. As we wait for his answer, we learn to be
more patient.
This
Sunday on the Feast of the Presentation
of the Lord we are taken back to a familiar Christmas scene, 40 days after
that beloved feast. According to Jewish
law, Jesus is presented in the Temple, as all first born sons would be, and
Mary is purified according to that same law.
As both she and Joseph are among the poor, only two small birds are
purchased as an offering by them.
However,
a dramatic moment takes place within this seemingly normal Temple duty. Luke relates: “Now there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This
man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel . . . it had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he
had seen the Christ of the Lord.” How patient are we with the Lord? Simeon waited all his life for this unique
moment. Don’t we often become restless and perhaps even give up when our
prayers are not “answered” in our time?
Further,
Luke presents this scene which may have been at first a bit frightening to
Mary. Luke simply states, “. . . a man in
Jerusalem.” Then he seems to just swoop in and, “. . . took him (the infant
Jesus) into his arms and blessed God saying: Now Master you may let your
servant go in peace . . . for my eyes have seen your salvation . . .” Who was
Simeon? Did he have any connection with Temple worship or was he just a
stranger who happened to be nearby? Nonetheless, both Mary and Joseph were
“amazed at what was said about him . . .” For Mary and Joseph it was apparently
a gradual unfolding, not an instant answer, to who this mysterious child was. They
too were called to patiently wait on the Lord’s time.
Simeon,
it strikes me, could be a representation of any of us who are doing our best to
live a “righteous and devout” life or certainly are making an effort to be
serious about our spiritual life but find ourselves impatient when it comes to
prayer. Either we give up when our
prayer is not answered according to our time schedule or at a minimum we become
distracted by the stuff of life and are inconsistent in our prayer: on again,
then off again. While prayer is not always asking for things we may for some
reason think that we should be on the mountain when praying rather than in the
flat valley with God.
All
of his life Simeon was patiently waiting for the Lord’s fulfillment of the
prophecies of the Messiah and now he says to God – “I can die in peace.” How
many of us could wait patiently on God for a lifetime of hope? Think of St.
Monica and her patient years of prayer waiting on the hope that her son
Augustine would turn from his pagan, hedonistic lifestyle to a life of
Christian moral virtue. Her life of
prayer, like Simeon, was fulfilled at the end and she too could leave this
world satisfied and grateful.
Luke
then adds another figure of patience, an elderly woman of prayer and fasting
who was also patiently waiting on the Lord: a prophetess, Anna. Like Simeon she is an obscure figure who
appears on the scene and she too rejoices in the birth of this child. She too was patiently waiting for this unique
moment.
God
comes to us more often in the ordinary and the unexpected than he does in
thunder and lightning but are we patient enough, are we humble enough, are we
persistent enough to wait patiently for his response?
Our
faithfulness and our patience, our trust in God’s promise and faithfulness is a
lifetime of practice. Don’t give up but
trust and have hope. Let the Simeon and
Anna in you be a guide for the spiritual life.
In the silence of the Eucharist we approach with hands and hearts of
trust that God is always good on his word.
Almighty
ever-living God,
We humbly implore
your majesty
that, just as your
Only Begotten Son
was presented on
this day in the Temple
in the substance of
our flesh,
so, by your grace,
we may be presented
to you with minds made pure.
(Collect for Feast)
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