Simeon was at the temple when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to be presented to God as her firstborn. Recognizing the baby as the promised Savior, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and prayed the Nunc Dimittis.

The Magnificat is the Song of Mary, which she sings when visiting her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth is carrying John the Baptist; Mary is carrying Jesus. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb — an early anticipation of John’s role as Christ’s forerunner and prophet.