Reading
Lk 2:22-35
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “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.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “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.”
Meditation
According to the Mosaic law (Lev 12:2-8) the woman who gave birth to a child was not allowed to touch anything sacred or enter in the Temple for forty days, because of its ritual impurity. At the end of this period she had to offer a one-year-old lamb as a sacrifice to be burned and a turtle dove or a young dove in atonement for her sins. Women who could not afford a lamb could offer, as did Jesus' mother, only two young doves. This attests the poverty of Mary and Joseph. The Law provided for the consecration to the Lord of every firstborn (Ex 13:2.12).
The birth of Jesus fulfills the hopes of devout Jews, who awaited the Messiah announced to Israel, especially by the prophet Isaiah and in the book of Daniel. The canticle of Simeon, called Nunc dimittis from his first two words in the Latin version, seems to come from the Judeo-Christian context, as well as the Magnificat and the Benedictus.
The hymn is perfectly in tune with the announcement of the universal character of salvation that the Gospel of Luke passes through. The gospel will be preached to men of every language, people and nation (Rev 5: 9), not only to Israel, therefore, but also to the Gentiles. For all three canticles it is specified by Luke that whoever pronounces them is moved by the Holy Spirit.
The first to recognize the advent of the Messiah are humble, poor people, without positions of particular importance: Mary and Joseph, engaged in modest conditions from the village of Nazareth; Elizabeth, also a woman, who prophesies when the precursor leaps in her womb; and Simeon, "a just and God-fearing man" who will no longer be mentioned in the Gospels.
In taking Jesus in his arms, Simeon finds a joy and a peace that not only make him conscious of the fulfillment of the expectations of Israel but give fulfillment and meaning to his very existence: "Now, O Lord, let your servant go in peace"
In the encounter with the incarnate Son of God we discover a peace which pervades our life and which comforts us even in the face of death, no longer viewed with terror. The encounter with Jesus fills the deepest expectations of our soul; this is the etymological meaning of the "salvation" sung by Simeon: "to make whole", to add to the building of our existence that cornerstone (Mt 21:42) which gives it stability and perfection.
"All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
or the ear filled with hearing" (Eccl 1,8). Until we see Christ. Like Simeon holding that child in his arms, we can find, placing our gaze on him and on his tenderness, the merciful face of God.
Prayer
Give us, Lord, the peace that springs from the encounter with you; so that we can sing the mystery of grace accomplished in your incarnation. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
