Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner continues the Scriptural Companion Series with a famous pairing of two companions, the Prophets Simeon and Anna. Their story of prophecy and devotion is reported in the Gospel of Luke. One way to make scripture come alive is to connect with a character in one of the bible stories. Another way is to have an imaginary conversation with a bible character and consider what that character might have to say about a current issue in your life. The Scriptural Companion series on Truth of the Spirit chooses a few characters from scripture and helps you to get to know them and their role a little better. For video and audio links and blog, please continue reading.
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Today we continue our series on Scriptural Companions with a famous pairing of two companions. The continuous cycle of the Liturgy does not preclude the importance of the particular story or witness. The focus on the individual is to find a relationship with those who encountered Christ or the followers of Christ. Some characters are well known, such as Peter and Paul, whose feast day is June 29th,and even Mary and Martha, whose feast day is July 29th, they are mentioned in homilies during the year. But how many know the prophets Simeon and his counterpoint in the temple when Jesus was presented? Each character has meaning for us and for each other. Simeon and Anna invite us to ponder like Mary did after she heard their prophecies. It is good to ponder—to connect the dots of what has been revealed but is hidden to you because you have not seen the Light shine upon it.
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit, I’m your host Patti Brunner. Our Scriptural Companions today are the Prophets Simeon and Anna who gave their prophecies to the Holy Family when they came to the Temple when Jesus was about 6 weeks old.
Simeon and Anna were ‘retired’ but rather than sit and do nothing they spent their lives in prayer for the coming of the Messiah. What promise took root in their hearts? Whose prophecy did they read? In their ‘leisure’ did they study the minor prophets like Micah? Did they puzzle over the words of Isaiah? Why a male and a female prophet? How can we connect in modern time to the gifts of prophecy? How affirming were their encouraging words to Joseph and Mary?
So many questions for us to ponder! When Mary heard their prophecies to her she was already pondering[i] the revelation of the angels to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. They said, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord” [Luke 2:11] She was already pondering the prophecy fulfilled from the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1:31; “31n Behold, you will conceive
“in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” And the affirming prophetic dream Joseph had, which quoted the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 7: 14. The angel’s prophecy in Joseph’s dream is given in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1:21. “21She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,* because he will save his people from their sins.”22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23* k “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.””
Now, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, the Lord affirms again the role of her child, not by more angels but by two of the respected elders within the holy Temple of Jerusalem.
Scripture tells us in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke: “22* When the days were completed for their purification* according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,h23just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,”i24and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.” This law of the Lord was the Mosaic Law recorded in Leviticus 12: 2-8. It says that when a woman gives birth to a boy she is considered ‘legally unclean or impure’ due to the issue of blood and not allowed to enter the Temple. We covered that rule a little as we spoke about the Woman Who Touched Jesus in a previous episode of Scriptural Companions. The ritual offering for this legal impurity was to offer the prescribed animal at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting forty days after his birth. After this sacrifice was made the couple could once again be considered clean. By the way, mothers of girl babies had to wait twice as long, a total of 80 days! Figure that one out!
If you are familiar with the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, you already know that the meditation of the 4th decade is the Presentation in the Temple. This is not when Jesus was circumcised and named, that would have taken place more privately when Jesus was eight days old. Have you considered why the Presentation is important? The Presentation comes from the Book of Exodus 13:2, “1The LORD spoke to Moses and said: “2Consecrate to me every firstborn”.
Luke Chapter 2 tells us: ”25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel,* and the holy Spirit was upon him.26 It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. 27He came in the Spirit into the temple.” Luke made the point that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and that the revelation was given to him as a promise. I wonder how old Simeon was when he received this promise. Was he young like Jeremiah or old like Abraham? It was so profound that he remained attentive to the Holy Spirit. Where do you think he was when the Holy Spirit summoned him to the temple? We should learn listening skills from Simeon, to go about our life but to keep an awareness of a prompting by the Spirit that is timely requiring a quick response.
[Luke 2: 27] Simeon “came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, 28he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: 29“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, 30for my eyes have seen your salvation,j 31which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”k” A light for revelation to the Gentiles! The Gentiles! What a revelation! The mission of Jesus, the Messiah, to the whole world seemed quite hidden from the people of Israel. Yet, in hindsight, we find various clues. We find it in the prophet Isaiah when the word of the Lord is recorded in Isaiah chapter 42:6, “I, the LORD, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,b” and in Chapter 49 of Isaiah, “6 It is too little, he says, ” the Lord says about the Messiah, “It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel;c I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.*” We see the fulfillment of this in the Acts of the Apostles as Paul reached out to various cultures even pagans. Chapter 13 of Acts says, “46u Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly [to the Jews] and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.*47For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”v 48The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,49 and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.” And the truth of the Gospel set them free. The salvation through the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God, set them free.
As Mary and Joseph listened to Simeon in Luke Chapter 2: “33The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about Jesus; 34 and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradictedl 35 (and you yourself a sword will pierce)* so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”” With these words of upcoming suffering, Mary spent the next 33 years preparing to be by her son’s side during the crucifixion. Her strength allowed her to be a comfort to her son and to the Church since that time as it, too, has suffered.
One of the principles in scripture of witnessing to the truth is that adequate witness takes two. Luke Chapter 2 tells us in verse 36, “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.”
How often had she listened to the words of the prophet Micah especially Chapter 5: “1* But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. 2Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne,* Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.b”. Did hearing that the child Jesus was born in Bethlehem quicken the prophecy in her heart?
How often had she studied the Prophet Isaiah, pondering the promise Isaiah 46:13; “13I am bringing on that victory, it is not far off, my salvation shall not tarry; I will put salvation within Zion, give to Israel my glory.” And wondering about the Lord’s strange concept of time, since the prophecy was already 700 years old. Salvation was within the descendants of King David, until God’s timing sent the Son of Man, the Son of God.
Luke Chapter 2 continues, “38And coming forward at that very time, Anna gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.m” Unlike Simeon her preparedness called her to remain within the temple. She models intercessory prayer for us. She surpasses St. Monica who prayed for the conversion of her son Augustine for 30 years. Augustine became a bishop and a saint. Anna prayed for at least 50 years. At our parish, over the years, I have met women who had dedicated their lives to prayer for their children. I have met women who had dedicated their lives to serve as sacristans to the Church. Anna took a step past service to worship night and day with fasting and prayer for all mankind. In the Temple there were areas for men only and for women only. I can picture Anna approaching Mary in this area to approach the teen-aged mother of the savior of the world. What joy in Anna’s heart to change from prayers of petition to prayers of thanksgiving. Thirty-three years later Jesus would offer a prayer of thanksgiving to His Father, the Eucharist, that allowed eternity, heaven and all within it, to be present on earth within communion with Christ, the Messiah.
Our question about connecting in modern times to the gifts of prophecy—we can certainly gain insight as we study the prophecies of the Bible and then look for their fulfillment; so many of the prophecies have been fulfilled, and yet, there remains promises from the Lord to be continued in our lifetime and perhaps those of our children and grandchildren and beyond.
We can reach in to the words of God’s current prophets and find the wisdom of God. We can listen ourselves to God’s prophetic utterances for our own lives, and follow His direction. You can find more about the Gift of Prophecy in some of our episodes on that gift. And then as you study, turn to the Lord in your own need and in your own intercessory prayer for others.
How affirming were their encouraging words to Joseph and Mary? Just imagine this young couple, there was so much going on, with the pregnancy and the birth of this child in the stable of Bethlehem. And now they came forward to dedicate this child to God, to his Heavenly Father! And to hear the words of prophecy to confirm that God is with them in this! And that God is with them as they continue to raise the Son of God, the Son of Man!
Luke Chapter 2 continues: ” 39When Mary and Joseph had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.n40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.o “ And Mary continued to ponder all these things.
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[i] Luke 2: 8* Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.9The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.d10The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11* e For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.12And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”13And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14* “Glory to God in the highestf and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” The Visit of the Shepherds.15When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”16So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.17When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.18All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.19And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.20Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.”
