Feast of the Presentation of the Lord [Candlemas]
Fulfilling the prescription of the law of Moses, Christ comes to the Holy City. Mary finds herself warned of the fate yet to come by Simeon.
Do we wait for the Lord? And if we do, do we do so faithfully?
In the cases of Anna and Simeon, we can certainly say so. As we see the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph in taking Christ to Jerusalem for his consecration, we see almost a mirror of them in Anna and Simeon.
Both Anna and Simeon had waited on the Lord. For Simeon, it is clear through the sacred scriptures that the Holy Spirit was upon him, and that he would not taste death before he had seen the promise of Israel. Still, for Anna, her life of faith after the passing of her husband showed remarkable dedication without the promise of Simeon. For as it is stated, she would wait in the temple both day and night, praying unceasingly and fasting.
Simeon and Anna are two sides of one idea. Some, by the grace of God, can see the path that God lays before them, and they remain faithful to see the fulfillment of that promise. While others in their faithfulness do not see such a path, and still put their trust abandoningly in our Lord.
So whether we see the path that lies before us, and whether we wait in silence or in song, let us all remember to wait on the Lord in patience and in faith at the wonders that He has already raught in us and in our lives.
