USA Provincial, Fr. Mark Marangone SX, wrote to Xaverian priests, brother and sisters on the World Day of Consecrated Life:
On February 2, 2021 Pope Francis shared the following...
Simeon “looked forward to the consolation of Israel” (Lk 2:25). He took the Messiah into his arms. He, an elderly man who had patiently awaited the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises.
The patience of Simeon. For his entire life, he had been waiting, exercising the patience of the heart. In his prayer, Simeon had learned that God does not come in extraordinary events but works amid the apparent monotony of our daily life, in the frequently dull rhythm of our activities, in the little things that, working with tenacity and humility, we achieve in our efforts to do his will. By patiently persevering, Simeon did not grow weary with the passage of time. The flame still burned brightly in his heart. He did not lose hope. He trusted in the promise and did not let himself be consumed by regret for times past or by the sense of despondency that can come as we approach the twilight of our lives. His hope and expectation found expression in the daily patience of a man who, despite everything, remained watchful, until at last “his eyes saw the salvation” that had been promised (cf. Lk 2:30)...
