Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 30, 2019
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 worshiped 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.
The moment after I turned in my last paper of the semester, I could not imagine a better feeling on earth. After weeks of reading, studying, writing, and editing, I could finally say that I had finished my first semester of graduate school.
In a sense, the better prepared we are for something, the more fully we can celebrate it. The more we study for an exam, the more satisfied we are when we get a good grade. The longer it takes to write the paper, the more we celebrate when we finally turn it in. Now that we have completed our time of preparation and Christmas is here, are we ready to celebrate?
Advent lasts only four weeks. In the Gospel reading for today, Anna has been waiting and preparing her whole life. She has lived in the temple since her husband died, praying and fasting night and day, for what was probably close to 60 years. When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple, she was ready. Imagine the joy she must have felt when she finally got to see the long-awaited redeemer—not only of Jerusalem, but of the whole world!
Let us remember to be people of hope and people of joy year-round, so that when Jesus comes again, we can celebrate with Anna.
Prayer
O Lord, there are so many days when we can feel as if you are distant. We wonder if you are really there—if you will really come. Grant us the faith and patience of the Prophetess Anna and increase our trust in the promise of your coming. May our celebration of your incarnation remind us of your fidelity. Help us to recognize that you are always near, so that we might live out our days in faith and prayer, awaiting the joy of your coming again. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Anysia was a wealthy young woman in Thessalonica who was killed for her faith in the early fourth century.
She inherited a fortune from her parents when they died, and she used the money to assist the poor. She was also a faithful member of the local Christian community. A persecution prevented Christians from gathering in public, so the faithful gathered secretly. Anysia set out one day to join others in one of these secret assemblies when she was stopped by a soldier. He asked her where she was going. Startled, she made the sign of the cross. The soldier grabbed her and demanded to know who she was and where she was going.
“I am a servant of Jesus Christ,” she replied, “and I am going to the Lord’s assembly.”
“I will prevent that,” the soldier said. “I will take you to sacrifice to the gods. Today we worship the sun.” She struggled against him, and spat in his face—so he became enraged and drew his sword and killed her.
Later, when the persecution ended, Thessalonian Christians built a church on the spot where she was killed.
St. Anysia, the young woman who used her fortune to help the poor, and who was killed on her way to Mass, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Anysia is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed November 7, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
