Nunc Dimittis
‘At last, all powerful Master, you give leave to your servant to go in peace,
according to your promise;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
which you have prepared for all nations,
a light to enlighten the gentiles
and give glory to your Israel, your people.’
These were the words from Luke's Gospel, which were proclaimed during Mass last weekend. The prophet Simeon spoke these words in praise to God, as the child Jesus and his parents entered the temple. Simeon was a virtuous man, and he had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death, until in his life, he had seen the Christ. And upon seeing the infant Jesus, he spoke these words of praise to the Lord, telling him that if he were to die that very night, all would be well. He was ready to leave this world, just because he had seen the Lord.
These words are also prayed by all Priests, Deacons, Bishops, and Religious, on a daily basis. This prayer, known as the Nunc Dimittis, is the canticle prayed during the Liturgy of the Hours, during Night Prayer, every night. It's supposed to be the very last thing that we do every night, before going to sleep. It's interesting to know that all Clergy and Religious, and even the Laity who join the Church in the great prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, before retiring for the night, every night, pray the same words as Simeon, telling the Lord that if they were to die in their sleep that night, they're ready to go, because they have seen the Lord in their day.
I'd like to think that the reason for this is simple. We, just like Simeon, have been promised that the Lord will appear to us, before we see death. The psalmist writes in Psalm 27: "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living". It's a promise, he appears to us in our lives, because he is with us, every step of the way. Our God came down to earth to be with us, 2000 years ago. He walked among men, and promised his disciples to be with them until the end of time. He promises to be with us, and he will not forsake us. He meets us where we are, each and every day.
I suppose that the first important question we need to ask ourselves at the end of each day, even if we choose not to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, would be, "where has the Lord appeared to me throughout this day?" St. Ignatius of Loyola founded his religious order, instructing the early Jesuits — to go out and "find God in all things." It could be as simple as in a friend who helped you with a difficult task, or a word of encouragement from a loved one. God is in these moments. He uses others as instruments to reach us. He promises to appear to us, the onus is on us to open our eyes to seeing him in our day.
God can also be found in the difficult parts of our day. Our God asks us to take up our crosses to follow him, and to love him for the Cross. A lot of the time, the struggles in life are the things that strengthen our relationships with God. However, he does not make us carry our burdens alone. He is there, carrying the cross with us, and walking with us all the way home. The challenge is also for us to recognise him and his love, when we take up our crosses. This is something that does not come easy, and I too struggle with this a lot. However, we must remember that our salvation is not just by his resurrection, but by the cross. It's the cross that became the tree of life for us.
More importantly, we should also ask ourselves at the end of each day if we are truly ready to leave the world, just because we have seen the Lord in our day. What have we done today? Have we been life-giving? Have we lived the day for the Lord, or have we fallen short? How can we do better tomorrow?
The whole point of praying the Liturgy of the Hours, is to sanctify the day with prayer, to help us to live each day for the Lord. Even if we are able to see the Lord in our day, if we do not carry out his mission on earth, if we do not live the Gospel, we have missed the point. What makes us ready for a good death, is not just coming to know about what our God has done for us, but about how we have walked the journey of life with him. It is through living our lives for him, at the service of others, that we carry out his mission on earth, which is precisely what we have been put on this earth to do. When we have done what he has called us to do on this earth, this makes us ready to leave this earth.
The truth of the matter is that as human beings, we fall short a lot of the time, of living up to the mission which we have been called to. It's hard to live each moment for Christ, and for the cross. This is where we are called to rely on prayer, and to rely on his grace, to remember that after giving all that we have, it is his to provide for where we fall short. He loved us enough to die for us, that we may experience His goodness, but we must let him work with us as a citizen in training for our ultimate destiny, which is heaven.
St. Francis of Assisi taught his followers to preach the gospel at all times, and to use words when necessary. Similarly are all called to strive to live the gospel at all times, to strive to see him in all things, so that we can truly say to God at the end of each day, "you can let me go in peace, you have fulfilled your promise".
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
according to your promise;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
which you have prepared for all nations,
a light to enlighten the gentiles
and give glory to your Israel, your people.’
These were the words from Luke's Gospel, which were proclaimed during Mass last weekend. The prophet Simeon spoke these words in praise to God, as the child Jesus and his parents entered the temple. Simeon was a virtuous man, and he had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death, until in his life, he had seen the Christ. And upon seeing the infant Jesus, he spoke these words of praise to the Lord, telling him that if he were to die that very night, all would be well. He was ready to leave this world, just because he had seen the Lord.
These words are also prayed by all Priests, Deacons, Bishops, and Religious, on a daily basis. This prayer, known as the Nunc Dimittis, is the canticle prayed during the Liturgy of the Hours, during Night Prayer, every night. It's supposed to be the very last thing that we do every night, before going to sleep. It's interesting to know that all Clergy and Religious, and even the Laity who join the Church in the great prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, before retiring for the night, every night, pray the same words as Simeon, telling the Lord that if they were to die in their sleep that night, they're ready to go, because they have seen the Lord in their day.
I'd like to think that the reason for this is simple. We, just like Simeon, have been promised that the Lord will appear to us, before we see death. The psalmist writes in Psalm 27: "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living". It's a promise, he appears to us in our lives, because he is with us, every step of the way. Our God came down to earth to be with us, 2000 years ago. He walked among men, and promised his disciples to be with them until the end of time. He promises to be with us, and he will not forsake us. He meets us where we are, each and every day.
I suppose that the first important question we need to ask ourselves at the end of each day, even if we choose not to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, would be, "where has the Lord appeared to me throughout this day?" St. Ignatius of Loyola founded his religious order, instructing the early Jesuits — to go out and "find God in all things." It could be as simple as in a friend who helped you with a difficult task, or a word of encouragement from a loved one. God is in these moments. He uses others as instruments to reach us. He promises to appear to us, the onus is on us to open our eyes to seeing him in our day.
God can also be found in the difficult parts of our day. Our God asks us to take up our crosses to follow him, and to love him for the Cross. A lot of the time, the struggles in life are the things that strengthen our relationships with God. However, he does not make us carry our burdens alone. He is there, carrying the cross with us, and walking with us all the way home. The challenge is also for us to recognise him and his love, when we take up our crosses. This is something that does not come easy, and I too struggle with this a lot. However, we must remember that our salvation is not just by his resurrection, but by the cross. It's the cross that became the tree of life for us.
More importantly, we should also ask ourselves at the end of each day if we are truly ready to leave the world, just because we have seen the Lord in our day. What have we done today? Have we been life-giving? Have we lived the day for the Lord, or have we fallen short? How can we do better tomorrow?
The whole point of praying the Liturgy of the Hours, is to sanctify the day with prayer, to help us to live each day for the Lord. Even if we are able to see the Lord in our day, if we do not carry out his mission on earth, if we do not live the Gospel, we have missed the point. What makes us ready for a good death, is not just coming to know about what our God has done for us, but about how we have walked the journey of life with him. It is through living our lives for him, at the service of others, that we carry out his mission on earth, which is precisely what we have been put on this earth to do. When we have done what he has called us to do on this earth, this makes us ready to leave this earth.
The truth of the matter is that as human beings, we fall short a lot of the time, of living up to the mission which we have been called to. It's hard to live each moment for Christ, and for the cross. This is where we are called to rely on prayer, and to rely on his grace, to remember that after giving all that we have, it is his to provide for where we fall short. He loved us enough to die for us, that we may experience His goodness, but we must let him work with us as a citizen in training for our ultimate destiny, which is heaven.
St. Francis of Assisi taught his followers to preach the gospel at all times, and to use words when necessary. Similarly are all called to strive to live the gospel at all times, to strive to see him in all things, so that we can truly say to God at the end of each day, "you can let me go in peace, you have fulfilled your promise".
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
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