Just before Christmas, I had a surprise as I was serving communion in a skilled nursing community. As I placed the wafer on the tongue of one of the elders and said, "The bread and the cup, life eternal in Christ," she leaned over and kissed the cup. She then folded her hands, whispered what I must assume was a prayer, looked up, and said thank you. The moment startled me with both its swiftness and its tenderness. It was a vivid reminder that yes, I purchased the cup years ago and yes, when I am working I carry it everywhere, the cup does not belong me. It belongs to those I serve. Tonight I think of Simeon and Anna who waited with patience in the temple until the baby Jesus was presented to them. They did not hold on to him, but simply gave thanks. Perhaps when Mary and Joseph heard their blessings given by Simeon and Anna, they, too, knew they could not hold on, but accept that he would bloom in his time.
She was very old; she lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying (Luke 2:36-37).
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