“21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

  22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

  23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD.”

  24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord– “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

  25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him

  26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

  27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,

  28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

  29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.

  30 I have seen your salvation,

  31 which you have prepared for all people.

  32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

  33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.

  34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.

  35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

  36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years.

  37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

  38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”  (Luke 2:21-38, italics mine)

“Like Anna and Simeon, when we wait in hope and pay attention to our surroundings, we too will see God revealed before our very eyes.”  (3-Minute Retreat, December 28, 2017, italics mine.)

Today, my 3-Minute Retreat from Loyola Press concerned Simon and Anna recognizing that Jesus was the Messiah.  It was about waiting and recognizing.

I’m not good at waiting.  I don’t like long lines at checkout counters, traffic jams, or any other form of waiting.  This may be exacerbated by my attention deficit disorder, but I suspect that is an inherent human struggle.  One of my least favorite proverbs is “Good things come to those who wait.”

But perhaps waiting is a prelude to recognizing crucial stuff.  Perhaps others in the temple were simply too busy to wait.  They were in a hurry to sacrifice, to worship, to get on with their lives.  How many important things do I not recognize because I refuse to wait?

My 3-minute retreat concluded with the following prayer:

“(Speak to God, using these words or a prayer of your own.)

God of life, I wait in joyful hope for your kingdom to be revealed in its fullness. Open my eyes to recognize your Son in everyone I meet today.”

It was very early this morning when I was doing this brief devotional/retreat.  I was working at my desk.  The first person I saw after reading this prayer when I looked up from my desk was my own reflection in the window.  Is Christ in me, I asked myself.

Yes, Christ is in there!  I may not always act as if He is, but He is!  Perhaps I should be more patient, waiting in hope.  Perhaps if I practiced such hopeful waiting, I would come to recognize Christ—even in myself.