According to the old calendar, today is the feast of St Simeon, the holy priest who had the privilege of receiving the Infant Jesus in the Temple, other calendars honour him in February. We rarely honour the saints of the old Testament. St Anne and St Joachim are the only ones featured on the General Calendar; the Carmelites celebrate the feasts of St Elijah and St Elisha the prophets. The new Martyrology, published a few years ago, include many Old Testament saints, Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah among them.
It is important for us to mark these feast days, or at least be aware of them. First of all they reflect the reality of heaven - these holy men and women, though they did not know the Messiah, were faithful to God and his plans, and for the fidelity they are in heaven. Such an example is important for us at times when we have to endure the darkness and weak faith. Secondly, they remind us of our Jewish roots. Pius XI, when dealing with Nazi anti-Semitism, reminded Catholics that we are all spiritual Semites - these saints teach us that too. St Paul tells us that the Gentiles were grafted on the plant of the Jewish faith, so we are nourished by the same roots and loving the same God. We are also seeking the same Messiah: as the Jews wait for him, we know he has come, but each of us must discover him for ourselves and enter into a personal relationship with him.
These saints also help us understand who we are; they reveal the longing of our spiritual ancestors, of the faith of our father Abraham, the fidelity of Ruth, the patience of Job, the courage of Isaiah, the zeal of Elijah: these are virtues we must imitate if we are to grow in holiness - our Old Testament saints, like the saints of the New Covenant teach us how to live them while reminding us that they should be part of our spiritual DNA. Finally, these saints bring us to the Word of God - to the Holy Scriptures. If we want to honour them, find out about them, we have to turn to Scripture and drink deeply from that well of clear water: clear for us because with Christ, the veil has been lifted, so we can see everything in the light of him, including the lives and example of the Old Testament saints. As men and women revealed in Scripture, we see them as men and women coming to life in the Word of God, and that is what we as Christians should be. Their lives form part of the revelation of God, so should ours.
When you think about it these saints have much to teach us, may we all have the joy of encountering them and the message of their lives. As for St Simeon: may his fidelity be ours, may his patience help us, may his joy touch our hearts, may his love for God be found also in our hearts.
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