The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-02-01

(child) is instead of this money, and
this (money) instead of this (child)
may this child be brought to life, to
the Law, and to the fear of heaven;
and as he has been brought to be ran
somed, so may he enter into the Law,
and good deeds" He then places both
his hands on the child's head and re
cites another prayer.
In a nation which has boasted, for
two thousand years, that it hands
down it's religious customs, from gen.
Grafton to generation, without sha-
dow of change, in word, or form, prac-
tice of to-day is, doubtless, in most
respects, identical with it's counterpart
in the time of Mary 1t was, we may
assume, with some such prayers and
solemn forms that Joseph and Mary,
still standing, before the Nicanor Gate,
presented" the infant Saviour ito the
Lord" after Mary had been declared
clean by the sprinkling of the blood
of the doves.
1t was still morning, and the crowds
of men were entering the Court of the
Israelites, by the Nicanor Gate, or
passing out. The mothers and fathers
who had firstborn sons to redeem were
still before the gate, Mary and Joseph
who could not come earlier to his
morning devotions, approaches. We
| know only that his name was Simeon,
very common one then, among the
Jews, and that he was one in whom
the reign of form and rite had not
extinguished true spiritual concep-
tions. He was "a just man and de-
vout," says st. Luke.
Habitually drawing near God, the
promise had been fulfilled to this aged
saint that God would draw near to
him; for ''the Holy Ghost was upon
him" Too old to care for longer life,
so far as earth alone was concerned,
his heart yet beat warmly for his
down-trodden nation, and for man at
large, sunk in heather darkness. He
would fain wait among the living till
the appearance of the Consolation OF
IsraeP'-the familiar name by which
his race, in their deep yearning for
deliverance, had come to speak of the
long expected Messiah, as the sure re-
storer of it's glory. He had a premoni
ton, divinely sent, that he should have
this joy, and had come this morning
''by the spirit into the Temple. How
he know it we cannot tell, but, as Mary
stood presenting her child, he recog
nized in Him the Messiah of God.
The ceremony over, his full heart can
not restrain itself lettering towards
the young mother, he takes her babe
in his arms, and gives thanks to Goo
in words of touching beauty-"Lord
now lettest Thou they servant depart
in peace, according to Thy word; fol
mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation
which Thou hast prepared before the
face of all peoples; a light to tighten
the heather and the glory of Thy PEG
pie Israel" Like true Jew, he thinks
of Israel as the centre of the MessianiC
glory, the light of which is to stream
afar, over the heather world around
attracting them to it.
Turning to Joseph and Mary, the ole
man then says a few parting words
with prophetic insight of the future
both of the child and it's mother
"Your child" says he to her, sis de
stined for the fall Of many in Israel
}, for many will reject Him; but also fo'
the rising again of many, who will be
lieve on Him and live. He is sent TO-
sign which shall be spoken against
and will meet with reproaches ant
contradiction, which will reveal thu
thoughts of many hearts respectin,
Him a truth too sadly eliminating
at Calvary. Mary's own heart "woult
be pierced with great sorrow"
At that instant, we are told, an age
woman, Anna by name, of the tr1b
of Asher, and therefore Galilean, ar
preached the gate. She was eighty-fou
J years old, and had thus lived through
! the long sad period of war, conquest
; and oppression, which had intensifie'
l in every Jewish heart, the yearning TO
7 national deliverance by the promise
Messiah. She must have remembers
/ the fatal war between the Asmonea,
brothers, Aristobulus and Hyrcanus
which had brought all the misery G
: her people in it's train, and she ha
= likely seen the legions of Pompey
when they encamped on the hills roun
| Jerusalem. The rise of Herod was
: recollection of her middle life, and it
r dreadful story of war, murder, an
t crime, must have sunk into her hear
| as it had into the hearts of all he
5 race.
e Such a woman must have been we
e known in a place like Jerusalem
: Catching the burden of Simeon's word
e as she passed, she too, like him, fortl
!, with thanks God that the promise {
D the Messiah is now, at last, fulfilled
e There could have been few, howeve
n to whom the glad tidings of such
n Saviour we're welcome, for though tn
Il heart of the nation was burning wit
Messianic hopes of a political kim
J. we are told that Anna was able to al
e nounce the birth of Christ to all
t. Jerusalem who looked for a redem
n ton of higher type.
, THE SYMBOLISM OF SNOW.