OPEN TO GOD’S MYSTERY    

December 30, Thursday

6TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

  

To thank God for the liberation he brings us in and through his Son, Jesus, is the core of every Eucharistic celebration. There we say: “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” With the prophetess Anna, let us express our thanks for our liberation to the Lord, our God, and praise him wholeheartedly.

Too easily, as St John says, we lose our heart to the world; we follow its ways of thinking and acting. Let us ask the Lord to forgive us.

 

First Reading: 1 John 2:12-17

I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. You veterans were in on the ground floor, and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One.

And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers—such vitality and strength! God’s word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

 

Gospel: Luke 2:36-40

Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.

 

Prayer

Almighty Father,
you let humble, faithful people
recognize your Son
and welcome him as the Savior,
who brought freedom and life to his people.
May we, too, recognize and welcome Jesus
in all that is little and humble
and with him grow up in wisdom and grace
to the maturity of your sons and daughters,
so that we attain the full stature of Jesus.
We ask this through him, our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:

Remain faithful to God and wait for His promises!

Today’s Gospel presents the character of Anna, the prophetess. Let’s try to capture the symbolism that Luke gives to this prophetess with messages for our life. She is presented as belonging to the tribe of Asher. It was the smallest and most insignificant of the tribes of Israel that had settled near the Mediterranean Sea. The land was very fertile and with material riches, temptations also arrived. And this tribe gradually mingled with the behaviours of the pagans. Although materially rich but spiritually superficial, they disappeared from the scene when the Assyrians attacked, they wiped them out and the tribe of Asher disappeared forever.

Here Anna is presented as the faithful remnant of this unfaithful tribe. There is a message for our life: whatever happens in life, even if everyone around abandons their faith, remain faithful to God and wait for His promises, because the Lord is faithful to his Word.

The evangelist gives lots of symbolisms to the figure of this old widow: she is 84; she has been faithful to her husband during the seven years of their life together. This number 84 is the result of 7 times 12: – 7 is perfection and 12 indicates the people of Israel. And in Hebrew literature, Israel is presented as the wife of Yahweh, the Lord. Thus, 84 years old Anna represents Israel, that now lifts the Messiah in her arms and presents him to the world – hands him over to humanity.

Anna – now the symbol of Israel, and therefore, the bride of Yahweh, never leaves the temple because the temple is the house of the husband. She does not go looking for lovers, she has no time to waste, she does not go from house to house to spend the afternoon in useless chatter, in gossip, in slander…

One who is in love with Christ, becomes like his spouse. The spouse lives in harmony with him in the temple fulfils a very important mission: to talk about him because whoever is in love cannot keep the joy to oneself; those who are in love with Christ announce him to all who need this light, to give meaning to their lives.

This way of aging of this woman has an important message for us: When you have grasped the joy of being with the Lord, you never waste your time. Like this old prophetess, you are entrusted with mission of speaking about Jesus to all those who seek meaning and a joyful outlook for their life; You have a testimony to give, to the children, the grandchildren and the youth of the community, of a life that made sense because it has always been lived in fidelity of a love relationship with the Lord.

 

Video available on Youtube: Remain faithful to God and wait for His promises!