A traditional canticle in Evening Prayer is the Nunc Dimitis, Simeon's prayer of praise to God when he sees the infant Jesus brought into the temple. YouTube has many, many videos of this canticle; e.g., Stanford Nunc Dimittis.
Notice how Luke blends into his account both law and the Spirit. The family are religiously scrupulous--in ways that may no longer be applicable in their specifics but are admirable in their attentiveness. They come to the temple because their religious practices require it. Simeon comes to the temple because he has been led by the Spirit. Look around you at church Sunday. The people you will see there have come because they think it is the right thing to do, the expected thing. And you will see people who have been led there by the Spirit. And for some, both apply.
Another blending in this passage--the salvation promised by the prophets is not just for the traditional religious insiders. As you pray Simeon's prayer, consider who are the Gentiles in our world.
Read about Anna's response, and think about your own.
Here are some excuses that will not work:
I'm too old.At least, they didn't work for Anna. Why is it that we don't speak about what we know?
I'm not important.
I don't have family support.
I'm not able to get around very far.
No comments:
Post a Comment