5TH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

The Holy Spirit was upon him. 

Today our Gospel leaps ahead from Jesus’ birth to forty days later, when Mary and Joseph presented their firstborn to the Lord. Simeon surely saw many families at the Temple that day, but something stood out about Jesus. How did Simeon know? Today’s reading gives us a clue: the Holy Spirit is mentioned three times (Luke 2:25, 26, 27). It was by the Spirit that Simeon recognized Jesus, and it’s by that same Spirit that we can see the Lord more clearly.

Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit “was upon” Simeon (2:25). Scripture often uses this expression to describe the way someone experienced God empowering them for a mission. Similarly, the Spirit equipped Simeon to perceive that Jesus was the Christ and to prophesy to his mother about her own role in salvation history.

The Spirit also “revealed” to Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Messiah (Luke 2:26). That revelation gave him the faith to wait confidently for God’s promise to be fulfilled. The Spirit kept Simeon alert, on the lookout for the answer to his prayers. So even though Jesus looked like any other newborn, Simeon was able to see in him the promised Messiah.

Finally, Simeon “came in the Spirit into the temple” (Luke 2:27). Simeon didn’t only listen to the Spirit in prayer; he was already attuned to his promptings before he even entered the Temple! He had learned to stay close to the Spirit in the ordinary events of the day. As a result, he was in the right place, at the right time, with an open heart and ready to see and testify to the work of God.

Simeon teaches us to follow the Spirit. We received the Spirit in Baptism; he already lives within us. We need only practice the discernment, faith, and obedience that Simeon showed. As we do, the Spirit will help us take up our role in God’s story. He can help us hear the voice of Jesus in our prayer and daily tasks. He can give us faith to wait in hope for the answer to our prayers. And he can help us follow Jesus in obedience. It’s a process, but it begins as we ask the Spirit to open our eyes and our ears. He will do the rest.

“Holy Spirit, help me to follow you today.”

1 John 2:3-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6
Luke 2:22-35