This is quite a scene. An aged, holy man talking to God as he looks into the face of the two-month-old child he is holding in his arms.
The old man speaks of peace and light and salvation and glory. His name – Simeon (Hebrew for “God has heard”) – characterized him as a man of hope.
Simeon’s words have become part of the Church’s night prayer, and are prayed at the end of every day of the year. The prayer is called the “Nunc Dimttis.” Latin for the first words, “Now you may dismiss your servant…”
That’s a good way to end each day. I go to bed, entrust myself into the hands of God, and rest in peace.
I can do it in Simeon’s words or I can use my own. Just one short sentence would do it: “Lord, as I go to sleep I place myself in your good hands.”
It seems a holy thing to do. And a healthy thing too.
Night prayer is an old tradition. It doesn’t have to be long. And it’s not just for children.
The ‘Happy Warrior’
Alfred Emmanuel Smith was born on this day 130 years ago.
After serving four terms as governor of New York, his name was placed in nomination as the Democratic candidate for the presidency by Franklin Roosevelt at the 1924 Democratic convention. It was in Roosevelt’s nominating speech that Smith was dubbed “The Happy Warrior.”
Smith was the first Roman Catholic to be seriously considered for the presidency, and this (along with his opposition to Prohibition) became a major issue. After 102 ballots, the convention gave the nomination to John Davis.
Four years later, at the 1928 convention, Al Smith won the Democratic nomination of the first ballot.
The ensuing presidential campaign dealt with many issues, not the least of which was Smith’s Catholicism. Various groups (including the Ku Klux Klan) openly opposed him because of his religion, and a great deal of anti-Catholicism rose to the surface.
Smith answered by saying, “I believe in absolute freedom of conscience for all, and in the equality of all churches, all sects, and all beliefs before the law as a matter of right and not as a matter of favor.”
Herbert Hoover, the Republican candidate, won a landslide victory, 444 to 87 electoral votes.