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waiting to see salvation with their own eyes. In today's Gospel, their waiting comes to an end. They see Christ, indeed Christ is put in Simeon’s arms. Simeon and Anna go forth in peace. We too have been waiting, during the weeks of Advent, the months of the pandemic. We too have seen Christ –in nature, in our lives, in each other, and hopefully within ourselves. Now we too are sent forth in peace.
Unlike Simeon and Anna, our story does not end as we leave this sanctuary in peace. We are sent forth to bear Christ into the world. Christ has not only been place into our arms, Christ has been given into our hands. We have been anointed, made alteri Christi or other Christs, to act in Christ’s place in this world. We are now the ones to bring consolation to the oppressed, redemption to the mistreated, salvation to the world.
According to Thomas Keating, "Bonding with others takes place as the love of the Spirit is poured forth in our hearts. We feel that we belong to our community, to the human family, to the cosmos. We feel that our prayer is not just a privatized journey but is having a significant effect in the world. We can pour into the world the love that the Spirit gives us.”
And so we might pray this week, “Make my hands your hands, my feet your feet, my heart your heart. Let me see with your eyes, speak with your lips, love with your heart and understand with your mind. Make me your other self.”