You’ve seen pictures of the city of Jerusalem. Most all of them have a view of a building with a very large gold dome. It’s called the Dome of the Rock and is a Muslim mosque. It’s the oldest Muslim building on earth, having been built in the seventh century. It was built over the rock upon which it’s believed Abraham would have sacrificed Isaac if God hadn’t stopped him. It’s also the place by tradition where Adam was created, and before Adam, it was by tradition the place from which God created the earth. So it’s a very important location for all three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
I’ve actually seen the rock, for I took a group there in 1997. At that time non-Muslims were allowed to go down beneath the mosque and see the rock upon which Abraham was to have sacrificed Isaac. Now, only Moslems are allowed in and under the mosque. The place on which the Dome of the Rock was built is the only place where the Temple can be in Judaism. So as long as there is a mosque there, there can be no Temple. The first Temple was built by Solomon, and the last Temple to have been on that location was built by Herod and was destroyed in AD 70. Anyway, it was the second Temple where today’s Gospel takes place. The baby Jesus is only 40 days old. The Holy Family travelled to Jerusalem in obedience to Mosaic law. In those days, if you wanted to be close to God, you had to go to Jerusalem—not just anywhere in Jerusalem either, but to the Temple. This was the place where the glory of God dwelt. The Mosaic law required every firstborn male to be dedicated to God, in remembrance of how the angel of death passed over all of the firstborn of Israel in the exodus from Egypt. Likewise, the law also required that a woman, after giving birth to a son, should mark the end of her 40 day purification after giving birth by making a sacrifice at the Temple. It’s what happened at the Temple that names the Feast in the Greek Orthodox Church: Hypapante, which means “meeting." St. Luke tells us that living in Jerusalem was a man by the name of Simeon. It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ." So, at the time when Mary, Joseph, and Jesus arrived at the Temple, the Holy Spirit moved Simeon to go there also. When Simeon saw Jesus, he knew that God’s promise had been fulfilled. He took Jesus up in his arms and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.” From the words of Simeon arise the other designation for this feast: Candlemas. All of these themes—the Presentation of Christ, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hypapante, and Candlemas—are depicted in our stained-glass window above the altar. St. Luke tells us that Simeon was told he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He must have been an amazing man, for he lived his whole life in a hopeful way. Think about the political situation of Israel at that time. They were an occupied country. They could do no business without being taxed by Rome. There was a 1% income tax, import taxes, export taxes, property, grain, wine, olive oil, emergency taxes, and on and on. The polytheism and all of the immorality that went along with it had been introduced into Israel, which was an abomination to every Jew. The Scriptures were full of God’s promises that he would make Israel a great nation, and here they were groveling at the feet of the Romans. You can be assured that there was not a little groaning and moaning about their situation. Simeon had seen it all. And yet he went to the Temple day after day, year after year, relying on the promise he had received from the Holy Spirit, that he wouldn’t die before he saw the Lord’s Christ. That’s a choice he made, a choice not to live in pessimistic despair, but to live trusting in the Lord’s promise. Simeon wasn’t looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, either. He picked up the baby Jesus and uttered a sobering oracle to the blessed Virgin Mary: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, also.” We, on the other side of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, know what Simeon was talking about. We know how the story ends. Oh yes, there are daily battles between good and evil, both in our own lives and in the larger society of which we’re a part, but we know already that God has won the war through our Lord Jesus Christ. Simeon should be the patron saint of all Christians because of his hopefulness. A pessimistic Christian is a contradiction in terms. I’m not saying we should wear rose-colored glasses. I’m certainly not saying we should tolerate evil in any of its myriad forms. But when it comes down to the final analysis, as St. Paul said, “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Therefore, how can we do anything ultimately but rejoice? Do you see yourself as basically a joyful person? Do others with whom you live and work and play see you as a joyful person? If so, that’s the proper attitude of the Christian. If not, I recommend a change. As St. Paul said, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind."
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2025
Categories |