Joy with the Sword: Simeon's Prophecy and the Presentation

Advent and Christmas Series

Good Morning Friends,

This is the last installment of our Advent and Christmas Series, falling at the very tail-end of the Christmas season. Last time we looked at Joys and Sorrows happening closely together. This mystery (or mysteries depending on how you look at it) is very similar, except they fall on the same day. It was not until I started praying the Seven Sorrows of Mary devotion that I realized the Prophecy of Simeon was a sorrow in Mary’s life. I had always focused on the joy of the Presentation. Now, I truly believe there is a reason for that, and I think that reason has to do with the fact that this accompanying sorrow is a different kind of sorrow, it’s the weighty sorrow of the inevitable sword.