the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a
sacrifice as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the
Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort
Israel, and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing
the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents
brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law. Simeon took the child
in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for
you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the
people to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”

Reflect

Like many people, I have a bucket list. A bucket list is a list of things you want to do or
accomplish before you die. For many of us, the list includes travel or special purchases or career
accomplishments. One of the great things about having a bucket list is that it gives you permission
to spend time, money, and energy to achieve them.

In today’s Gospel, Simeon has a bucket list, but his bucket list has only one item on it: he wants to
see the Messiah. Even more, the Holy Spirit has promised that he will be able to complete his list.
Simeon has been preparing to check off his bucket list for his whole life. He has lived a life of
prayer and faithfulness to God’s laws. That way of living disposed him to seeing the Lord.

We should all have Simeon’s single-mindedness. His goals were not wealth and fame and power.
Instead, he focused every aspect of his life on the Lord and the Lord fulfilled his promise. Simeon
met Jesus and his life was complete.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2023