My son and his wife are awaiting the birth
of their first child, any day now.
More importantly,
my wife and I are awaiting the birth
of our first grandchild, any day now.
of their first child, any day now.
More importantly,
my wife and I are awaiting the birth
of our first grandchild, any day now.
Awaiting the birth of a child—
or a grandchild—
is a funny thing.
You know that this will be
a life-defining relationship:
this person you are waiting to meet
will be someone who, God willing,
you will know for the rest of your life;
this person will play a role in your life
unlike any other.
Your anticipation is so intense,
you feel as if you already know them.
or a grandchild—
is a funny thing.
You know that this will be
a life-defining relationship:
this person you are waiting to meet
will be someone who, God willing,
you will know for the rest of your life;
this person will play a role in your life
unlike any other.
Your anticipation is so intense,
you feel as if you already know them.
In fact, however, you know very little
about this person you are awaiting.
What will they look like?
Will they be tall or short?
Slight or stout?
What will their personality be like?
Will they be quiet and bookish
or an extroverted thrill-seeker,
or—what is most likely—
will they possess a unique combination
of interests and talents and quirks and traits
that combine to make them
completely and utterly themselves?
about this person you are awaiting.
What will they look like?
Will they be tall or short?
Slight or stout?
What will their personality be like?
Will they be quiet and bookish
or an extroverted thrill-seeker,
or—what is most likely—
will they possess a unique combination
of interests and talents and quirks and traits
that combine to make them
completely and utterly themselves?
You have some ideas,
some guesses you can make
based on family traits and interests,
the lineage from which the child comes
and the environment in which they will grow.
But, to utter what may be
the biggest understatement ever,
children have a way of surprising you.
Their lives take paths unexpected
as they become the person they will be,
paths that are not set for them
by their parent’s hopes and dreams.
And so you await a stranger
whom you must come to know,
someone who remains a mystery
that must unfold itself in time.
This is why parenting
is one of life’s great adventures.
some guesses you can make
based on family traits and interests,
the lineage from which the child comes
and the environment in which they will grow.
But, to utter what may be
the biggest understatement ever,
children have a way of surprising you.
Their lives take paths unexpected
as they become the person they will be,
paths that are not set for them
by their parent’s hopes and dreams.
And so you await a stranger
whom you must come to know,
someone who remains a mystery
that must unfold itself in time.
This is why parenting
is one of life’s great adventures.
In today’s Gospel,
Simeon and Anna also await a child.
The child they await is not their child,
nor even their grandchild,
but it is still a child of their family:
for they are Jews,
descendants of Abraham,
and the child to be born
is to be the fulfillment
of the promise made by God to Abraham
that through him and his offspring
all the families of the earth
would be blessed;
the child they await will be
the consolation and glory
of the people of Israel.
Simeon and Anna
have awaited this child
not for weeks or months
but for the whole of their lives;
the Jewish people
have awaited this child for centuries.
This child so long awaited
is for the people of Israel
a life-defining relationship,
he will play a role in their life
like no other.
Their anticipation is so intense,
that they feel as if they already know him.
For this child is born of Abraham’s lineage;
he will grow and develop
within the stories and rituals and laws
of the covenant God made with Abraham;
he will bring that covenant to fulfillment.
Simeon and Anna also await a child.
The child they await is not their child,
nor even their grandchild,
but it is still a child of their family:
for they are Jews,
descendants of Abraham,
and the child to be born
is to be the fulfillment
of the promise made by God to Abraham
that through him and his offspring
all the families of the earth
would be blessed;
the child they await will be
the consolation and glory
of the people of Israel.
Simeon and Anna
have awaited this child
not for weeks or months
but for the whole of their lives;
the Jewish people
have awaited this child for centuries.
This child so long awaited
is for the people of Israel
a life-defining relationship,
he will play a role in their life
like no other.
Their anticipation is so intense,
that they feel as if they already know him.
For this child is born of Abraham’s lineage;
he will grow and develop
within the stories and rituals and laws
of the covenant God made with Abraham;
he will bring that covenant to fulfillment.
But Simeon and Anna also know
that they await a stranger,
one whose unique existence
can in no way be anticipated,
can in no way be contained
within their hopes and dreams.
Will he come as judge or a savior?
Will he defeat Israel’s enemies
or gather them into God’s covenant?
Will he restore David’s earthly kingdom
or transform the very fabric of the universe?
This child, like any child
newly born into the world,
remains a mystery
that must unfold itself in time.
But even more so than other children,
this child will burst the boundaries
set by any human expectation,
for the mystery his life will unfold in time,
is the mystery of the eternal God himself.
that they await a stranger,
one whose unique existence
can in no way be anticipated,
can in no way be contained
within their hopes and dreams.
Will he come as judge or a savior?
Will he defeat Israel’s enemies
or gather them into God’s covenant?
Will he restore David’s earthly kingdom
or transform the very fabric of the universe?
This child, like any child
newly born into the world,
remains a mystery
that must unfold itself in time.
But even more so than other children,
this child will burst the boundaries
set by any human expectation,
for the mystery his life will unfold in time,
is the mystery of the eternal God himself.
Simeon, filled by the Spirit
with holy anticipation,
is able to truly welcome this child
because he embraces him as a mystery,
as one “destined for the fall and rise
of many in Israel,”
as one who is “a sign
that will be contradicted,”
as one through whom,
“the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed.”
Simeon embraces the child
not as one who fits neatly
into his hopes and dreams,
but as the divine mystery
who overturns his hopes,
so as to give to him a better hope,
a deeper grasp of the strangeness
of a salvation that flows
from God made present in the flesh,
and dwelling among us as a child.
Holding the very mystery of God in his arms,
Simeon prays, “Now, Master,
you may let your servant go in peace,”
for he knows that,
whoever this child turns out to be,
in him Simeon’s hopes and dreams
have found their place of rest.
with holy anticipation,
is able to truly welcome this child
because he embraces him as a mystery,
as one “destined for the fall and rise
of many in Israel,”
as one who is “a sign
that will be contradicted,”
as one through whom,
“the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed.”
Simeon embraces the child
not as one who fits neatly
into his hopes and dreams,
but as the divine mystery
who overturns his hopes,
so as to give to him a better hope,
a deeper grasp of the strangeness
of a salvation that flows
from God made present in the flesh,
and dwelling among us as a child.
Holding the very mystery of God in his arms,
Simeon prays, “Now, Master,
you may let your servant go in peace,”
for he knows that,
whoever this child turns out to be,
in him Simeon’s hopes and dreams
have found their place of rest.
Though Jesus was born many centuries ago,
we too await his arrival in our lives.
Already born in us through baptism,
he also remains to us the stranger
whom we must come to know.
Though he is present to us
in his word, in his Church, in his poor,
in his sacramental signs,
we, like Simeon, embrace him as a mystery,
the one who will overturn our hopes
to give to us a better hope.
The life of each of us reborn in him
becomes part of the unfolding
of God’s eternal mystery in time,
an unfolding whose outcome we await.
This is why the life of faith
is the ultimate adventure,
for it is a journey into
the eternal mystery
of God himself,
a journey in which we come to know
the one who has loved us into existence.
As we continue on that journey
let us pray that God who is merciful
will have mercy on us all.
we too await his arrival in our lives.
Already born in us through baptism,
he also remains to us the stranger
whom we must come to know.
Though he is present to us
in his word, in his Church, in his poor,
in his sacramental signs,
we, like Simeon, embrace him as a mystery,
the one who will overturn our hopes
to give to us a better hope.
The life of each of us reborn in him
becomes part of the unfolding
of God’s eternal mystery in time,
an unfolding whose outcome we await.
This is why the life of faith
is the ultimate adventure,
for it is a journey into
the eternal mystery
of God himself,
a journey in which we come to know
the one who has loved us into existence.
As we continue on that journey
let us pray that God who is merciful
will have mercy on us all.
