I had never been to Zadar before. I had seen people who were incorrupt, like St. John Vianney and St. Clare of Assisi. I felt bad for St. Simeon because, here is a man who had waited his entire life to receive the message that God had given to him, but once he was fulfilling this message to be able to hold this child in his arms, “Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace. This is all I wanted.”

I was thinking, “That’s all he wanted! That’s amazing! His entire life, that was his whole desire.” Once that had been fulfilled, we don’t know how soon after he died, but that was it. His entire life, that’s all he desired. 

If only everybody could have that same kind of focus, be that profoundly devoted to God. It’s plain. It’s simple. That’s it. I want God and nothing else. That was his entire life. 

It’s crazy by the way the rest of the world would perceive it. We get so distracted by different things. Just take a look at the season of lent. We say we want to make our offerings to God. We say, “This is what I’m going to do for God,” but the distractions

I see it every day. I’ll ask people every Sunday, “How are you doing on your lenten offerings?” 

The reality is, “What do I want to offer?” A sacrifice is something we were going to do anyways, but an offering is something you do out of love. If you’re going to make an offering of love, it’s something you have to take into consideration. “I want to show Him this is what I’m doing for Him. I truly want to please Him by doing this.” 

I stated this before we began the season of lent, people were getting a better perception of what this was going to be, a real offering. Then I would say, “How are you doing on your offering?” And I would always say the same thing right after, “I’m not going to look at you. I’m not going to make any eye contact.” I know that this is challenging for so many people. 

At the same time, to renew that commitment. We do fall down in that commitment because we’re distracted. We have so many things on our mind and on our plates. 

To see the message of what Simeon is about, when you make the kind of offering and commitment to God, through all the suffering, doubts, oppressions you’re going through, obsessions you go through, betrayals you go through, and you can still commit yourself to God, then He reveals something to you. He reveals something incredible. “Now you may let your servant go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled.”

What He says to Our Blessed Mother is a prophecy. This child is a sign that’s going to be contradicted. The rise and fall of many in Israel. 

He’s talking to the Mother of Our Lord, the Mother of us all, he’s saying to her, a 15 year old kid at the time, and saying, “You, a sword shall pierce so that the hearts of many will be laid bare.”

For anybody who says that they are going to be faithful and they prove it, God is going to give you more. 

He had complete commitment every day. “Is this the day that God is going to be presented to me? Am I going to see the Messiah today?” Every time he gets up in the morning.