Piety
But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like
the fuller’s lye. Malachi 3:2
Study
Simeon had more to endure
BEFORE he encountered Jesus in the temple. In essence, Simeon already
was devoting his days to prayer in the temple.
He had already purged from his life outside interests.
Simeon and Anna speak about
the child that they were awaiting – and all who were awaiting the redemption of
Jerusalem were awaiting. Jesus is the unlikely
hope and expectation of faithful and devout Jews. They were looking forward to the restoration
of God’s rule in Israel. Although they
were awaiting a powerful king or ruler, the unexpected birth of Jesus as a baby
boy brings these hopes to fulfillment…not just for Simeon and Anna but for all
people. He was here for purification of
society from its sins – just like the refiner’s fire or the fuller’s lye.
While Simeon’s and Anna’s
endurance is over, the purification of Mary and Jesus is just getting started.
“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.” Luke 2:34B-35
Action
From what do you need to be
purified? What will you endure to
persist in your faith journey?
Opposing the death penalty
had not been an easy fight in a nation where many people still look for “an-eye-for-an-eye”
justice. Living in one of the states
that makes significant use of the death chamber – despite having several recent
governors who were Catholics and resisted calls from the two bishops in the state
– also makes the fight seem even harder.
That’s why the U.S. Supreme
Court's decision to review the use of lethal injections in carrying out
executions is a welcome move, according to coverage in The National Catholic
Reporter.
The court said Jan. 23 it
will review the drug protocols of lethal-injection executions in the state of
Oklahoma and consider whether such procedures violate the U.S. Constitution's
ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
"Our nation has
witnessed through recent executions, such as occurred in Oklahoma, how the use
of the death penalty devalues human life and diminishes respect for human
dignity. We bishops continue to say, we cannot teach killing is wrong by
killing," said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, chairman of the U.S.
bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
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