Fwd by Trần Kim Thục
Meditation: Luke 2:22-40
So here we are, on the cusp of a new year. It’s the perfect day to reflect on the past year’s blessings and to set our hopes on those yet to come. Imagine all the families that are doing this very thing today—engaging in this “dual vision” of the past and the future.
It’s not hard to imagine the Holy Family doing the same thing as well. They, too, had much to look back on and much to anticipate! Perhaps Mary recalled the angel’s words about Jesus at the Annunciation, “He will be . . . called Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). Joseph must have remembered his dream, when the angel told him to name Mary’s son Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Remembering these dramatic interventions must have helped this couple to trust in God’s faithfulness and to know that their future was safe in his hands.
Joseph and Mary weren’t the only ones to engage in this dual vision. Simeon shared his vision with them as well. Holding the infant Jesus, he saw the fulfillment of all God’s promises and the hope for the future salvation of Israel. No wonder they were amazed! Surely his words rang in their ears as they looked back and looked ahead.
What about you? How was God with your “holy family” this year? Maybe you can ask everyone this question at dinner tonight. Were there times of rejoicing, like a new grandchild? Were there moments of sickness or strained relationships? Try to identify how God has been with you through it all. But don’t only look back—look forward too. How has the past year prepared you for the blessings to come? Maybe God is just beginning to unfold something new in your life. How can you embrace it?
This is a day to be amazed at God’s blessings—and to know that even better things have yet to come!
“Thank you, Lord, for being with us this year. Help us stay close to you in the new year as well.”
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