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And, in a sense, both of them were waiting to die but only after they had seen and touched the salvation their faith told them was coming. Death after Candlemass was a death into a living life of eternal love.
What Simeon and Anna give us is a picture of persistent faith which sees the meaning in the waiting. They couldn't force God's hand and they certainly couldn't manufacture religious feelings. Every day they were faithful in their prayers and were eager in their ehir expectation that one day, one day, that expectation would be fulfilled. So they waited. What kept them going was a longing which is the ingredient of a thirst for God.
The late Cardinal Basil Hume, had a lot of experience in guiding souls, especially those who were young in the faith and who needed his wisdom if they were to develop that steadfastness which is so necessary after an experience of what might be called religious 'highs' - those moments when there is an absolute clarity of vision about God which sadly do not last and maybe do not come as frequently as we might wish.
A lot about faith is concerned with simply plodding on even when it seems that our relationship with God seems cool and distant. Basil Hume saw that this cooling of faith has a lot to do with the pressures we face in daily life. We are caught up in all sorts of things that distract and keep us busy - even keep us from having time for ourselves which is so necessary if we are to keep our lives centred on God.
So Basil Hume's advice is that when we are busy in the Market Place we should have a nostalgia for the Desert. What he means is that though we are caught up in lots of activity our hearts should continually long to be with God.
It all comes back to 'longing' which is related both to hope and to expectation. All three words together describe the situation of Simeon and Anna and whilst they clearly had the leisure to hang around the Temple - something we haven't always got - it is the activity of the soul which matters. Longing for God, for his love to transform our lives and give them real purpose and meaning is really about placing our souls into Christ's hands and letting him bless us. As Simeon held Jesus to God holds us and in being held we are blessed. Longing is fulfilled.
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