Long-Awaited Consolation
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”
Luke 2:25
Have you ever waited for something to happen, maybe even prepared a long time for it? Maybe it was a vacation you saved up for and planned for months or even years. Perhaps a reunification with a friend or family member you have not seen in ages. For the righteous man Simeon, he was waiting for the “consolation of Israel” and the Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ, and the day finally came — the day Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple.
This “Consolation of Israel” was the long-awaited Messiah who would save them from their suffering and persecution. For the Jewish People, the prophets reminded them time and again and God is faithful and that He will bring them out of slavery and into freedom and that there will be rejoicing once again (after the exile); however, not many of the Israelites remained faithful or trusted in the Lord, except for the “faithful remnant.” The descendants of this remnant would one day see this Messiah, and when the fullness of time came, God sent this “consolation of Israel” into the world for the salvation of souls, and this consolation was His very own Son.
Jesus is the consolation to the afflicted, the comforter to the persecuted, the light to those dwelling in darkness. Jesus is the long-awaited consolation of not just the Israelites, but of all peoples. Jesus is the answer to all our troubles, the hope in our despair, the joy in our sorrow, the light in our darkness, and the life in our death. Jesus has come to draw us to Himself so that where He is, we also might be, so that our sin remains no longer an obstacle to God, but that by His Cross and blood, we may come to share in His divinity. When in the depths of our hearts we search for meaning and for answers, and when we long for affirmation and love, although we may not know it, it is really Jesus whom we seek. This long-awaited consolation is in our midst, presented before us. Are we prepared to welcome Him into our hearts?
Watch this week’s reflection below.
