Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying,
     “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see.
       Here is the light you will reveal to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Know this: your son is a sign; a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

REFLECTION:
     Today’s gospel reading presents us with what our text describes as being “a very upright and devout man named Simeon,” and it adds, “the Holy Spirit was upon him.” So we are not talking of a priest or a Levite, of a prophet or ascetic, we are talking about an ordinary man, probably married and having children. But the difference with Simeon is that, as the gospel text tells us “he had been assured by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah”. What does that mean “he was assured?” By a vision? Probably not, because such an event would be recorded here. So, by what? Presumably by a deep inner conviction, as in the case of the Spirit’s motion in us. So here we have a man convinced that one day he would see the Messiah.
     And the years pass. But nothing happens. He goes to the temple every day, despite the bad weather and his occasional bad health. People begin to laugh at him. Sometimes he begins to doubt: maybe he had imagined the whole miserable business? Yet, Simeon, an old man now, keeps going to the temple every day—until his faithfulness is rewarded.
Doubts should never stop us.