Christmas Octave: 6th Day: Monday 30th December, 2019 December 30, 2019
Reflection on the WORD
“Holiness – Faith”: In today’s Gospel, Anna, the prophetess, and the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph showed great holiness in their lives. God’s Will was their primary love,joy and challenge. Let us pray for the wisdom to grow in the “holiness” of our love for God regardless of the challenges of our lives.
Luke 2:36-40
There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- In today’s Gospel, we meet the Prophetess Anna, whose name means “graciousness”.
- We see her graciousness through the Evangelist’s description of how faithfully she served God night and day with fasting and prayer after the death of her husband.
- How gracious and faithful are we when we experience death threat, crisis and pain? Do we trust and serve God more, like Anna, or do we turn to alternative “gods” like gluttony, gambling and other gross bahaviour?