Sometimes a single brief moment can define the character and meaning of a whole life. So it was for Simeon; his encounter with the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem gave meaning to his long life and made him a figure of immense importance in the story of Israel's long-hoped-for salvation. As he received the Messiah on behalf of Israel, so he also stands in for us for whom this messiah is our "light to the nations." 

Homily shared with the Saint Francis Catholic Community in Cuenca, Ecuador.