Simeon
came in the Spirit to the temple grounds and when the parents brought in the
child Jesus, to do to him what is customary according to the Law, he took him
in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Now you release your servant in peace, Master,
according to your word.
“For my eyes have seen your salvation that you
prepared in the sight of all peoples,
“A light for the revelation to the nations and
the glory of your people Israel.”
His
mother and father were amazed at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his
mother: “Behold, he is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for
a sign of opposition; and a sword will pierce your soul.”
~~
“It
was the scariest day of my life.” That’s
not what I expected my friend to say after the baptism of her first child. So, I probed a little. She explained that as little Julie passed
through the waters of rebirth, she had a profound sense that she was giving her
daughter up for adoption. She was;
that’s true. Now, the way God parents us
does not in any way compete with our earthly parents, it doesn’t take them off
the scene, the domestic church is where we hope people first experience God’s
fatherly love even if that doesn’t always happen. But, at the end of the day, God is
first. We’re all adopted, and I’d never
really stopped to consider how that affects some parents.
