Simeon was a man blessed by God with a special promise. We do not know his age when God made this promise, nor do we know how long Simeon waited for its fulfillment. We don’t even know much about him, whether he was a priest, a lifelong laborer or a handyman who spent his free time worshiping God in the Temple. All we do know is that God made a promise to him, and he waited patiently amid his suffering for its fulfillment, which eventually came to pass in the Christmas narrative.

One tradition states that Simeon was a Temple priest, and it was he who received Jesus from Joseph and Mary in order to fulfill the law. Some paintings and icons even depict Simeon dressed as a Jewish priest holding the baby Jesus.

Alongside this tradition is the belief that Simeon was an old man. It is possible, though, that Simeon was just a normal man, a laborer like Joseph, who was “righteous” and “devout” and to whom God chose to reveal Himself.

Either way, as the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple approaches (Feb. 2), the Church holds up Simeon as a man of great faith worth imitating. How can we imitate Simeon in our modern lives? The answer lies in the beautiful, ancient traditions surrounding this important feast day.

On the old liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Presentation marked the official end to the Christmas season. That’s right, the Church once celebrated 40 days of Christmas! Why? According to Jewish law, 40 days after the first-born son’s birth, he was to be presented in the Temple alongside his mother, who was to be purified after giving birth.

Simeon’s reception of Christ at the Temple is, in some ways, symbolic of our Baptismal reception of the Light of Christ into the temple of our souls. His reception of the Light of Christ is why the Church, on this day, blesses all the candles it plans to use throughout the year, including baptism candles, and why this feast day has the additional name of “Candlemas.”

As we together enter into the full breadth of this new year, we must remember that God has seen us in our suffering and heard our pleas for help. He made a special promise with us, like Simeon, and even took on our human flesh and suffering to hold our hands as we endure our hearts’ purification in preparation for the day that promise is fulfilled. He came to give us hope, to assure us that our eternal happiness is coming—and to beg us to keep holding on. “Fear not,” says the Lord. “I am with you always…”

He is asking us to fight to keep the light he gave us at our baptisms burning through the regular reception of the sacraments. He gives us Simeon as a radiant example to imitate as we approach our spiritual sufferings with Christ in Lent, our deaths on Calvary, our resurrections on Easter morning—and the great, mysterious beauty of the life to come.

Every time we enter our local parishes and receive the Son of God in the Eucharist this year, let’s pray that our lights may never be extinguished. And, trusting that God will answer this prayer, let’s allow ourselves to prayerfully sing the joyful Song of Simeon in thanksgiving:

“Now, Lord, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Trenton Scroggins is the Director of Digital Engagement for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. [email protected]

This article appeared in the February 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.