Daily Reflections ...

In the 19th century, during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln in the United States, the Emancipation Proclamation Law was passed. This proclamation granted freedom to all slaves throughout the country.

One can imagine what it would have been like to anticipate the coming of that liberation. In many ways, Abraham Lincoln became somewhat of a saviour figure for the people enslaved during that time.

People of Israel anticipated a saviour as well. In today’s gospel, we hear about an old man named Simeon whose anticipation of the Messiah was his primary concern before he died. He yearned for the Messiah. He contemplated the coming of the Messiah with all his heart. It was only the coming of the Messiah and the salvation of the world that gave him peace of mind.

We live in a post-Messiah world. We know the rest of the story and we are the continuation of that story. Yet our liberation has not yet fully come. What we anticipate is the Kingdom of God. What we can learn from Simeon today is that the anticipation of that Kingdom is a great thing to have in our hearts at all times. It is a prayer in and of itself to desire God’s Kingdom to be made manifest on earth, and for the earth and its people to come to their perfect fulfilment.

Today, I invite you to pray for a moment for the desire for the coming of God’s Kingdom like Simeon. May we, like Simeon,  welcome Christ into our arms and our hearts. Amen.

by David Kruse