Abbot Brendan Coffey OSB
Today is the day when the end of winter is enough of a possibility that we can begin to anticipate spring. Joseph and Mary present the infant Jesus in the Temple. Hope arrives into the house of God. Simeon, for so long had held onto the promises of God foretold by the prophets and now he has lived to see that dream come true. He speaks those moving words, which are echoed in the Nunc Dimittis, a prayer recited down the centuries at the end of day: ‘Now Lord, let your servant depart in peace…’ Simeon is now ready; here is the light of the world, lying in this present moment in his arms.
But as Simeon lets go in a place of hope, he also speaks of Mary’s pain yet to come. One day it will be as if a sword is piercing her heart and soul. This is the painful reality of life on earth, but it is never a life without hope.
Anna too is a vessel of hope. We know very little about her, but what we do know is touching. She was only married for seven years before her husband died. She was a woman who knew about grief and loss and shattered dreams and her response was to spend her days worshipping in the temple, keeping her eyes fixed on God, praying in hope. In Anna too we see foreshadowed something of the grief and loss which Mary is yet to experience.
Then we come to Mary. We are given a beautiful insight into how Mary nurtured her hope by pondering all of these things in her heart. How important this is for all of us.
Like Simeon, Anna and Mary we are deeply aware of the pain and that great sense of loss people are experiencing in so many different ways around the world. We are conscious of those suffering as a result of war, economic hardship, injustice, abuse, poverty, hunger and loneliness. We need to be honest about our struggles and our weariness, even our own little personal struggles. We also need to ponder, to look back and to look forward, and so replenish the treasure of God within us.
Following Jesus is not always easy. Today, we let Simeon turn us in the direction of the cross, remembering that following Jesus is also about sacrifice and faithfulness in the face of suffering. This is why we bless candles, signs of the light of Christ in the world. We have need of such signs to get us through the darkness. Today is the day when the end of winter is enough of a possibility that we can begin to anticipate spring. Let that be our prayer as we journey through the seasons of the year and of our lives.