6th day in the Octave of Christmas
1st Reading: 1 John 2:12-17
Do not be absorbed by the world or the things in the world
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world — the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches — comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.
Responsorial: Psalm 95: 7-10
R./: Let heaven and earth exult in joy!
Give the Lord, you families of peoples,
give the Lord glory and power,
give the Lord the glory of his name. (R./)
Bring an offering and enter his courts,
worship the Lord in his temple.
O earth, tremble before him. (R./)
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the peoples in fairness. (R./)
Gospel: Luke 2:36-40
The prophetic widow, Anna, proclaims the destiny of the child Jesus
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
A meeting of generations
Forty days after his birth, when Jesus was ritually presented in the Temple (along with the prescribed sacrifice), his future was foretold by an eighty-four year old woman, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel. She was serving God night and day, with fasting and prayer. One could say that she also had a preaching ministry, since she spoke of the child Jesus to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. We don’t know how old Simeon was, but probably he was of a similar age. He too had been waiting a long time to see the Christ, and after greeting him he felt ready to leave this life in peace. He too was a man of prayer guided by the Holy Spirit. Such were the people who could sense the significance of the child being carried into the temple by the young couple.
It was a happy meeting of youth and old age. A young couple with the precious child meet a much older man and woman. This meeting turned out to be a blessing for both pairs, the young as well as the old. Youth was graced by age, and age was graced by youth. The promise of youth feels inspiring to older people. The experience of older folk can offer stability and wisdom to the young. Society benefits when the generations stay into contact with each other, since each has something precious to offer. The generation in the middle, those in their middle years, are often best placed to bring the elderly and children together.
No matter what age we are at, our calling as followers of the Lord is to bless and grace others by our presence. All of the people who met in the Temple that day reading were the better for that meeting — Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna and even the child Jesus himself.. It might prompt any one of us to ask two questions, “Are others the better for having met us? And do we want them to be?”
Anna, the contemplative
The elderly widow Anna is one of those very God-conscious characters who feature in the opening two chapters of Luke. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and especially Mary and Joseph are people of strong and active faith. What distinguishes Anna is her age, eighty four years old, and the fact that she never left the Temple, but remained there, serving God night and day with prayer and fasting. When we think of ways of service, it’s usually some activity for others, visits to make, or food to bring them. Anna was a woman who served God by staying put in the Temple, praying and fasting. You could say that she lived a contemplative life. Yet her life of prayer and fasting in the Temple led to her being a powerful witness of God’s activity to others.
When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, Anna praised God and spoke of the child to all who looked forward to salvation. Anna’s prayer and fasting made her a powerful witness to what God was doing. She reminds us that there are many ways of serving God, and one of the most important ways is by our prayer. To pray is to serve God; it is to give ourselves over to God. Such service of God will empower us, as it empowered Anna, to be witnesses to God’s presence and activity to all who are still longing for God’s coming.