The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how meditation on the ebb and flow of our lives reveals the work of the Spirit in prompting us to live more closely in relationship with Jesus.
Review our journey
The reading from the First Letter of John exhorts us to observe a New Commandment.
* [2:7–11] The author expresses the continuity and freshness of mutual charity in Christian experience. Through Christ the commandment of love has become the light defeating the darkness of evil in a new age. All hatred as darkness is incompatible with the light and Christian life. Note also the characteristic Johannine polemic in which a positive assertion is emphasized by the negative statement of its opposite.1
Psalm 96 praises God Who comes in judgement.
* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is presented in the Temple.
* [2:25] Awaiting the consolation of Israel: Simeon here and later Anna who speak about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem represent the hopes and expectations of faithful and devout Jews who at this time were looking forward to the restoration of God’s rule in Israel. The birth of Jesus brings these hopes to fulfillment.3
Chas Kestermeier, S.J. comments that John has all sorts of polarities here – new commandment and old, darkness as opposed to true light, etc. – and from that we might think that the world is actually black and white and that the morally and spiritually “correct” choice will always be evident. That would make our decisions clear and the choices easy for someone dedicated to finding God and serving him. Reality, however, has endless shades of grey, as any mature mind must recognize.
Our lives are not a matter of one single decision and choice but a matter of our values and goals, of all the little directions and activities we choose for ourselves. How do we cope? As best we can. We are not supposed to achieve perfection in this world, but as God’s little children we must be eager to do our best, to learn from our mistakes and grow, to be unfailingly generous with ourselves and our gifts. The Father loves in a special way those who try to follow his Son home to him by imitating him.4
Don Schwager quotes “Simeon and Anna represent both sexes awaiting their Redeemer,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Simeon and Anna, a man and a woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in his divinity. Figuratively speaking, this denotes the synagogue, the Jewish people, who, wearied by the long awaiting of his incarnation, were ready with both their arms (their pious actions) and their voices (their unfeigned faith) to exalt and magnify him as soon as he came. They were ready to acclaim him and say, 'Direct me in your truth and teach me, for you are my saving God, and for you I have waited all the day' (Psalm 25:5). What needs to be mentioned, too, is that deservedly both sexes hurried to meet him, offering congratulations, since he appeared as the Redeemer of both." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.18)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-35 comments that Simeon “came in the Spirit into the temple” (Luke 2:27). Simeon didn’t only listen to the Spirit in prayer; he was already attuned to his promptings before he even entered the Temple! He had learned to stay close to the Spirit in the ordinary events of the day. As a result, he was in the right place, at the right time, with an open heart and ready to see and testify to the work of God.
Simeon teaches us to follow the Spirit. We received the Spirit in Baptism; he already lives within us. We need only practice the discernment, faith, and obedience that Simeon showed. As we do, the Spirit will help us take up our role in God’s story. He can help us hear the voice of Jesus in our prayer and daily tasks. He can give us faith to wait in hope for the answer to our prayers. And he can help us follow Jesus in obedience. It’s a process, but it begins as we ask the Spirit to open our eyes and our ears. He will do the rest. “Holy Spirit, help me to follow you today.”6
Friar Jude Winkler contrasts the need for commandments in the letter of John with the “one commandment” in John’s Gospel to “Love God and do what you will” (Augustine’s Love Sermon) Luke does not get it 100% correct when he writes of Jewish customs. Friar Jude reminds us of the difficulty in the mind of Mary, who prayed the Shema, to deal with the “Son of God” as revealed to her.
Franciscan Media relates Saint Thomas Becket’s story as a strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil, and so became a strong churchman, a martyr, and a saint.
No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially with himself. Thomas knew he must stand firm in defense of truth and right, even at the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in the face of pressures—against dishonesty, deceit, destruction of life—at the cost of popularity, convenience, promotion, and even greater goods.7
Barbara Holmes writes about how it is in times of literal or figurative darkness that new possibilities are unveiled. An eclipse occurs when one object gets in between us and another object and blocks our view. We are not permanently blocked from the light. Also, we are not able to rely upon our sight to overcome the obstruction. Finally, during an eclipse, we have a dimming of the familiar and a loss of taken-for-granted clues that we rely upon every day to remind us of who we are and why we are here. Yet, although we are not always comfortable in darkness, the invitation to come away from life in the spotlight is intriguing. Could there be a blessing in the shadows?
The eclipse reminds us to linger in the darkness, to savor the silence, to embrace the shadow—for the light is coming, the resurrection is afoot, transformation is unfolding, for God is working in secret and in silence to create us anew. [1]8
The dualism of the Letter of John, opposing Gnosticism, may not be an appropriate position for our openness to the Spirit to prompt our smaller steps in transition to the Light.
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