Scripture:

Simeon said to Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ (Luke 2.34-35) 

Reflection:

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is of course at the very heart of the Christmas story. Giving birth (away from home) was as risky a business as for any young mother, and the stakes had been raised even higher by the expectations that this was to be a child especially gifted by God. When she took her 8 day-old baby into the Temple, she was confronted by the aged Simeon, who’d come ‘led by the Spirit’. Seeing the baby, he saw a miracle – a baby who would challenge the status quo and expose our ‘inner thoughts’. Jesus was indeed a very special gift, but living out his message of God’s love was very costly for him, and for his mother. Thanks be to God. 

David Harmsworth