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Gospel: Luke 2: 36-40
There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Anna is one of the few female prophets mentioned in the bible. In a few short verses, Saint Luke paints a beautiful picture of her.
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She was a widow.
Anyone who’s lost a loved one – particularly a spouse – has known the sorrow of Anna. But her sorrow doesn’t make her bitter. As Luke tells us, she never left the temple; it was the center of her life.
She reminds us that grief can do one of two things: it can dry up our faith. Or it can make us kinder, softer, more sympathetic people, who trust in a God who doesn’t waste our tears.
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Second, Anna was eighty-four.
Age changes us. As our body weakens, we either become increasingly irritable, complaining about all of our aches and pains, or increasingly grateful for the time we’ve been given. As it’s written in the Psalms, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.”
Though the strength of her body was slowly being taken away, the strength of her faith increased by the day. She was a joyful, holy, elderly woman.
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How did she become to be the person she was?
She prayed. In spite of her age and sorrow, she praised the Lord, not only publicly in the Temple, but also in the privacy of her home.
As the saying goes, “They pray best together who first pray alone.”
Prayer lifts the spirit; it keeps us joyful; it fills us with God’s peace, even into the final years of our lives.
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As we look to yet another year, may we become like Anna – not only older in years, but also stronger in spirit.
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Full of Grace TV, YouTube (3) Simply Organized