The Encounter of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ
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Hebrews 7:7-17; Luke 2:22-40
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
One of the things that we all struggle with at times is anticipation. We can especially see this in little children; if you tell a young child that we are leaving home in an hour or two, they think you’re leaving now and start getting ready. Sometimes tantrums or breakdowns can happen when they realize that they have to wait. Even we adults can lose our cool when we have to wait because of slow service at a restaurant or when we are stuck behind a slow driver in the left lane.
In today’s Gospel, we encounter Simeon who must have been a very patient man. The Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he would not die until he saw Christ. Imagine having that revealed to you and then having to live with it, not knowing when or how that revelation would come to fulfillment.
Living in God’s time is not something we are good at nor do we want our patience tested. Far too often, we want things to happen here and now; we want to be the ones in full control of our destiny, and that often leads us to push God and His providence out of our plans and lives. On this feast of the Encounter of Our Lord, may we strive to imitate the patience of Simeon, understanding that sometimes we have to wait even when we do not want to.