Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-02

@. Is anything definite known about
the history of Simeon, who blessed our
Lord in the temple? I know of no his
torical references to this aged saint ex-
cept st. Luke's statement concerning
him.
A. The evangelist says: And behold
there was O man in Jerusalem whose
was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel: and the Holy
Ghost was upon him." (St. Luke, XII.
25). Then follows one of the most
beautiful incidents in the Gospel of the
Nativity, crowned by the "Nunc Dimit-
It's" which has since been the evening
hymn of Gods people for nearly 20
centuries.
The two Greek words describing Sim
con. "dikaios" and "eilabes," translated
respectively as lust" or righteous"
and "devout," stress his upright rela-
tions with men and his worshipful at
titude toward God.
Plainly he was one of those radiant
and well rounded souls who maintained
Israel's vigil for the promised Messiah.
Legend has been busy with his name.
One story identifies him with a rabbi
who was the son of Hillel and the
father of Gamaliel I. But this and
similar accounts are wholly speculative
Simeon's presence in the sacred annals
demonstrates the endless luSter Of the
good who were unknown to fame in
their earthly life.
Little did this modest, dedicated and
holy Jew think that you and many
others would eagerly inquire about him
1929 years, or whereabouts, after he had
departed in peace.
@. Kindly explain Christ's words that
there will be no marrying nor giving in
marriage in Heaven. Did He mean
that the wonderful and divine gift of
love between men and women will cease
after death, or was He referring only
to the physical attributes of marriage?
Surely pure love does not die.
A. The heaven to which Christ re-
ferred is a state of spiritual being in
which the reproductive function is I'M
necessary. His statement casts no slur
on earthly marriage. The final supe-
riority is that of the spiritual over the
material, truth which no normal per-
son should have any difficulty In accept
ing. Sacrificial love will still exist for
this love is essentially spiritual, although
on earth the expression is necessarily
conditioned by the flesh.
Perhaps in your school days you
read Sir Walter SCOTS Lay of the
Last Minstrel" If so, you may recall
these lines:
Love rules the court, the camp, the
grove.
And men below and saints above,
For love is heaven, and heaven is love-"
There are men and women whose
sole ground for believing in immor-
tally is that love cannot die. They
may feel the futility OF all meta
physical arguments, for a future life,
and they may disbelieve every story
which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle &C
cepts as conclusive. But, having loved
deeply, they maintain it is such d.
vine passion that the personalities
in which 1t is aflame will surely sur
vive the stroke of death. 1t may
not be an argument which. satisfies
everybody but I refer to it here because
1t is germane to your inquiry; indeed,
In some respects, 1t is It's answer.
Do not forget the meaningful words.
God is love-" I cannot perceive how
there can be a state of conscious ex-
istence in Him without love.
@. If a Jew, out Of conviction, be-
comes a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ, has he the right still to call
himself a Jew?
A. If you are satisfied to be governed
by New Testament precedent, your
question is easily answered. The
great majority of early Christians
were Jews and they did not cease to
be regarded as Jews because they were
Christians. While ST. Psul became
known as 1.-The Apostle to the Gentiles,"
he never overlooked an opportunity to
present his message to his fellow ccun-
trymen. 1t was his constant PRAYER
that all Israel might be saved" The
early Christian Jews continued their
worship in the temple and observed
their national feasts. (See Acts, HAS;
III 4 :xiyl; xvu.1-3)