Embracing the New
Today in the Gospel, we see a meeting of the old and the new. For many years, Simeon has been waiting in the temple for the Anointed of the Lord. Mary brought the newborn Jesus to the old man Simeon for the customary ritual of the law. The old man Simeon welcomed the newborn Jesus in his arms and blessed God saying, “Now, Master, you can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your Word. For my eyes have witnessed Your saving deed…”
This is a beautiful imagery for all of us — the past embracing the present, the old welcoming the new.
I remember this story. There was a man who had a drinking problem. One day, he made a resolution for the better. “I will kick this drinking habit.” After some days, he returned to the bottle. To help him, his wife set an appointment for him with a doctor. To demonstrate the power of alcohol and to convince him to stop, the doctor took a chicken liver and placed it inside a bottle of gin that he was fond of drinking. The liver, after some time, slowly melted in the powerful liquid.
Shocked at what he saw, the man said, “From now on, I will no longer eat liver!”
While change can augur progress and growth, it can also be threatening. Change can be intimidating. It’s not always easy to welcome the new especially when it means supplanting the old that we have grown accustomed to and comfortable with. The man in our story wanted to change from his old ways, but he was not willing to embrace the new challenges it would entail.
Today, let us make a life inventory. Are you stuck in some old bad habits? Are there new ones that you have been avoiding to make? Fr. Joel O. Jason
Reflection Question:
In a few days, we will welcome a new year. What areas of the old are you needlessly holding on to? What new ones are you afraid to embrace because of its challenges?
Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, I place my past in Your mercy, my present in Your kindness and my future in Your providence. Amen.
St. Trophimus of Arles, pray for us.
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