Luke 2:22-32

The gospel of Luke relates that when Simeon saw the child Jesus, he praised God, saying: "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples - a light to enlighten the nations."

The gospel of Luke begins with stories of two women, Mary and Elizabeth, and the births of their special children, John the Baptist and Jesus. An old man and an old woman in the temple attest to the promise of Jesus, who will be a light not only for the Jews but for all the nations of the world. The author of the gospel of Luke is writing this story for a church already dominated by Gentiles, which is growing within the Roman Empire beyond its Jewish roots in Palestine. Its offer of salvation is for all those who are faithful.

Simeon's prophecy links the beginnings of Jesus in Palestine with the growth of the church in the Roman Empire in the cities of Ephesus, Collossae, Corinth, Galatia, Thessalonica, Philippi, and Rome. The story points away from the past to the future. Our faith, too, looks ahead, drawing on the past for insight and strength, but embracing with hope what is to come.

Grace and peace...Bob