The warning was clear: before the final times, God would send his messenger to warn people and to purify the nation. Although the intent was to purify, no one would look forward to it, as it would also be a time of reckoning. The Day of the Lord was always anticipated with a certain amount of dread or fear. As is often the case, things turned out differently. First of all, when God came, it was in human form. Jesus became one of us, sharing in our human limitations and weaknesses in all things but sin. He was tested; he struggled; he suffered. All of this was for one purpose: so that he could be compassionate with us in our own failures and weaknesses. He understood what it was like to be human. He could relate to our experience through his own. We need not fear our failures and weaknesses. We do not have to live in dread of judgment. We have a friend and brother who has already blazed a path for us. He waits to welcome us and he helps us on the journey. When God entered the temple, it was as a frail human child. He was exposed to all the dangers that threatened children in that age: war, famine, disease, and violence. But Simeon recognized that his coming would be joyful salvation for many, but very upsetting and threatening for others. The bottom line: God is for us, not against us - in fact, God is one of us. We need not ever fear or feel alone.