At age 84 Anna was still in the temple “worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer.” Maybe she still had a few months or years of life left, but her future became shorter day by day, and death was one day closer. Fortunately for Anna, she was in the right place at the right time. “Coming on the scene at this moment,” she witnessed a man and woman fulfilling the rituals of the Law. Like Simeon, was she “inspired by the Spirit” to be in that spot? Did she notice fear in the parents’ eyes and wonder what Simeon had just said to them? Did she, too, feel that she could be dismissed in peace with a “Nunc dimittis” like Simeon’s? We know that she gave thanks to God and “talked about the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.”

Our day, our lives are filled with moments. Many of them may seem inconsequential. God came to earth “when the designated time had come.” (Gal. 4:4). Be attentive to whatever might be a “designated time.” Be ready “at this moment.”