Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 30, 2024
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.
Anna is a relatively discrete figure in Scripture. Yet her witness offers tremendous insight. For several decades, she lived a life rooted in fasting and prayer. After the loss of her husband, her steadfast worship demonstrated the hope in which she trusted in the Lord.
It was her purity of heart, cultivated through her dedicated fasting and praying, that gave her the disposition to recognize Jesus as her redeemer when he was presented as an infant in the temple. Because of her time in unwavering prayer, she knew immediately that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Anna’s heart was then so overcome with joy that she gave thanks to God and went to tell all who were awaiting redemption about her encounter with Jesus.
The witness of Anna reminds us that if we, too, build our days around worship, living our lives with fasting and praying, we also can recognize Christ in our midst. When I consider the times I fall short in virtue, when I fail to recognize the face of Jesus in those around me, I can almost certainly look back to see a lapse in my own spiritual practices.
However, when my own spiritual disciplines are in place, I am more attuned to recognize the presence of Christ in my interactions with others. Like Anna the prophetess, my own practices of worship, prayer, and fasting can predispose me to be ready to welcome Christ at any moment. At these times, I can feel God’s guidance as I bite my tongue instead of reacting too quickly. I am able to sense the Holy Spirit’s nudge to offer unexpected words of encouragement to another. And I also can cultivate a joyful readiness to share with others the hope of having found redemption in Jesus.
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.
