In his book Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John
O’Donohue shares an idea for a short story he hoped
to write: the notion that in the course of our whole life,
we would meet just one other person. That idea prompts
compelling questions. If we could meet only one person,
how would we prepare? What practices would we undertake
in order to become ready for such an encounter?
In today’s reading we meet two people who have
devoted their lives to this kind of preparation. Simeon and
Anna have oriented their entire being toward waiting, to
making ready for the One they knew would come. When
Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus to Jerusalem in
order to present him at the Temple, Simeon and Anna are
there: Simeon, drawn by the Holy Spirit “who rested on
him”; Anna, who has spent much of her life living at the
Temple—a sacred place in itself. Having long practiced the
art of waiting, Anna and Simeon are so prepared that when
they see the child whom Mary and Joseph bring, each of
them recognizes Jesus. Their years of anticipation have
come to an end. Waiting gives way to welcome as they greet
him with blessings and with joy.
Christ calls us to this kind of anticipation. How do we
prepare ourselves so that, like Anna and Simeon, we will
recognize Christ when he shows up in the people who cross
our path? How will we make ourselves ready to welcome
him in all the ways he will appear?
By Jan L. Richardson from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016