Holy Nights
Luke 2:25–35, 39–40
And see, there was in Jerusalem a man named Simeon. He was devout, entirely dedicated to the
Good, and lived in expectation of him who was to bring the consolation of the Spirit to the people of God. The Holy Spirit was upon him, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it had been revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Inspired by the Spirit, he went into the Temple court, just as the parents brought in the child to fulfill for him the custom of the Law. And Simeon took the child in his arms, praising the divine Ground of the World,
and said:
de Gelder
Now you dismiss your servant in
peace, O Master, according to your word.
For my eyes have seen your healing
deed,
which you have prepared before all
peoples:
A light that leads the peoples of
the world to revelation and makes your own people shine in the Spirit.
And his father and mother were amazed that such words were spoken about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:
See, he will cause the fall of many
among his people,
But he will also let them rise
again.
He is a being who will call up
dissent.
A sword will pierce your soul, too.
Through him, the thoughts and ponderings
of many hearts will be revealed.
. . . .
And when they had completed everything that the Law of the
Lord demands, they returned home to Galilee, to their own town Nazareth. And
the child grew strong, wise in his spirit-filled soul; divine grace was upon
him.
Holy Nights
January 3, 2021
Luke 2:25–35, 39–40
A small light can light up a small space; a large light, such as the sun, can illuminate the world. And the light of the sun not only illuminates; it creates and sustains life.
Simeon is in the presence of the Child who will grow to call
himself the Light of the World. And the intense light of this Child illuminates
not only space but also time—the past and the future. In this light, Simeon
recognizes the fulfillment of a long-waited and long-prepared promise made to
the folk Israel.
And to the Mary soul, he reveals the future—a dynamic falling
and rising of individuals, hints of future suffering, but also resurrection. And
he intimates that the inner workings of souls will one day become transparent.
As sweet and innocent and paradisally glorious as this Child
is, his destiny nonetheless will arouse dissent. He will embrace all pain and
suffering and will transform them into resurrection and ascension. He will
wrestle with death, illuminate it and infuse it with Life so that souls in all
the world and in times to come may live in his Life after their own deaths. Through
his Light and Life, humankind's future will open, blossom, and bear fruit
beyond death. For, as the poet Hafiz says,
pours light
into every cup,
quenching darkness.*
*Hafiz, Interpretive version of Ghazal 11 by Jose Orez
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