The Presentation of the Lord

Whatever we are waiting for usually shows up sooner or later:
A major part of our lives is spent waiting. We wait for a baby to be born, for our children to grow up and be independent, for retirement; indeed, we spend a lot of time waiting. Besides that we also have to wait for people who are late, we wait for the bus or train and whatever. But there is something interesting about waiting. Most of the time, whatever we are waiting for shows up sooner or later. Simeon and Anna had waited for a long time, and
finally their hope was fulfilled.

Simeon was not alone in recognizing the Lord's presence in the temple. Anna, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit. She was found daily in the temple, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically about God's promise to send a redeemer. Anna was a woman of great hope. Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us feel hopeless if we do not have our hope rightly placed. Anna's hope in God and His promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope.

All those who, like Simeon and Anna, persevere in piety and in the service of God, no matter how insignificant their lives seem in people’s eyes, are instruments the Holy Spirit uses to make Christ known to others. In His plan of redemption, God uses these simple souls to do much good for all mankind. In other words, the Holy Spirit employs ordinary men and women with simple faith as His instruments to bear witness to Christ, His ideals and teachings, just as He used Simeon and Anna. The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to us when we are receptive and eager to receive Him.

Let us be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us to recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord with us and in others. We need the assistance of the Holy Spirit to see the presence of Jesus in ourselves and in others. What do you hope for? The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of trails, setbacks, and challenges that may come our way. The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life and happiness with our heavenly Father.


Blessings,
Fr. Dantus Thottathil

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