That is how we “see” like Simeon…..”so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke the story of Christ being presented in the temple…As many know, this is the fourth decade of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, which is prayed every Monday and Saturday….For the purposes of this reflection I want to focus on the character of Simeon in this story….....How did Simeon know want he knew?…….”Now 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. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He 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, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; 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 contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”…….Scripture tells us that Simeon prayed day and night in the temple along with Anna…..That is how Simeon “saw” what he saw…....He was a man of prayer……When a Catholic prays and utilizes the Sacraments - We “see”…..The Sacrament of Reconciliation “clears away” the sins, which fog our vision….And when we receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - The life of Christ penetrates deeply into our soul…Such a person sees what the world does not….....Sin blinds our eyes…....And only the Sacraments can remove sin from our life and allow us to see….....Why else did Simeon see?….He was a man of deep prayer…....Time spent mediating on the life of Christ when praying the Rosary and time spent before the exposed Blessed Sacrament in silence again opens our mind and heart to receive grace, which in turn effects what we “see” in the world….So many today in our society disregard time spent in prayer, as well as disregard living a Sacramental life…..As a result, the world is blind and walks around wounded and lost….And what does Scripture tells us about this predicament?…….”They are blind guides [of the blind]. If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.”……This is why a life of prayer is so important….Like Simeon, we too can “see” but that kind of vision only comes from a pure heart....…”Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God”…..That is how we “see” like Simeon and avoid falling into “the pit.”

“Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes”

When Mother Teresa was at the height of her fame, a report asked her point blank - “What is your secret?”….Mother Teresa responded - “I pray”…......When you get right down to it, it’s really that simple!….Praying is not saying a few words right before you go to bed…Its opening yourself up to the divine…Its about “clearing away” sin Sacramentally and allowing the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to nourish our soul…....Its about quieting down our mind and mediating on the words of Scripture, its about silencing our mind and standing before Jesus himself in the Blessed Sacrament, where in the silence, God will speak to us in a whisper that only the human heart can hear…...This is prayer and this is how we “see”……How else can we enhance our prayer life?…..Jesus gives us the answer in Scripture….By Fasting!…..Fasting sharpens our prayer life….It makes us rely of Christ in a real and tangible way……It builds self disciple….In other words - Fasting is vital…Its not just for Advent and Lent…If we are serious about growing closer to Christ, prayer and fasting are tools we should incorporate into our life…Again, this is how one “sees’ as one should….This is how we avoid the many traps of the evil one….This is how God can use us…And this is how we get to heaven.

“The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked.”

Today we hear about Simeon in St Luke’s Gospel at Mass…Simeon was a man of prayer and as a result, when Christ was carried into the Temple by his Mother, Simeon saw Jesus for who he really was….Why did the rest of the people in the Temple not see what Simeon saw? - Ask yourself that…Simeon saw because he was a man of deep prayer…This man should be used as an example for all Catholics…Catholics MUST be people of prayer….The closer we get to God, the more Jesus can use us in the world…..However, we can not give what we do not have….Our job is to “prepare the vessel”, which is our soul…We do that through living a Sacramental life, daily prayers and weekly fasting - We also do this by living a sacrificial life…By doing those things consistently, we in essence “empty ourself”, which in turn allows God to fill us with his very life - The Holy Spirit!…This is the “blue print” - And ANYONE can do this from the great of the world to the small of the world - From the Pope to the old lady in the last pew in your Church…And by doing this, we grow in holiness - We cooperate with Christ, who desires to sanctify us….…Is this your goal? - To become holy? - If not it should be - Why is that important? - That is how we “see” like Simeon…..”so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”……JMJ