DECEMBER 30, 2017 : THE SIXTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 203

Reading 11 JN 2:12-17

I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake.

I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the Evil One.

I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,
and you have conquered the Evil One.

Do not love the world or the things of the world. 
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
For all that is in the world,
sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,
is not from the Father but is from the world. 
Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. 
But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Responsorial PsalmPS 96:7-8A, 8B-9, 10

R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts;
worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity. 
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 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.

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Meditation: "Anna recognized the coming of Christ and gave thanks to God"

Where do you place your trust and hope for a life of peace, freedom and happiness? Scripture tells us that those who place their trust in God will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23, Psalm 62:8, Proverbs 3:5-6). In every age, God has placed in the hearts of his people, from the descendants of Adam, Noah, Abraham, the prophets, and King David, a longing and a hope for a Redeemer who will bring us God's kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. We see the great unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the birth of Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all ages, who became a man to redeem his people from sin and oppression. 

The long expected newborn Messiah is presented in the Temple at Jerusalem
Luke the Evangelist records the coming of the Christ child (God's Anointed Messiah) to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:22-24). Joseph and Mary brought the child Jesus with them to the temple to fulfill the Jewish ceremony, recorded in the law of Moses, for the "redemption of the firstborn child" (Exodus 3:2) and the ritual purification of the mother after childbirth (Leviticus 12:2-8). As Joseph and Mary presented their offering and dedicated the child Jesus in the temple, Anna, a godly woman of great age (84 years) who was filled with the Holy Spirit immediately recognized that this child was the promised Messiah and heir to the throne of David. She publicly "gave thanks to God and spoke of him [who is the Christ - the Anointed Messiah] to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). 

Anna's persevering hope and reward of seeing Christ face to face
What is the significance of Anna's witness and prophetic proclamation of the Messiah's coming to his temple? Luke calls Anna a prophetess because she had dedicated her life to the service of God's word through prayer and fasting. Like Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and all the prophets of the Old Testament, she was attentive to God's word and she spoke prophetically - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - to others of God's plan of salvation for his people. She spent her days in the house of the Lord (the Temple) where she offered up daily prayers and intercession for her people.

Anna did not grow weary of placing her trust in God and his promises. Here hope and trust in God did not waver but grew with age.What enabled Anna to persevere for so many years and through difficult times, such as the loss of her husband, and through the trials of advancing old age? She never ceased to give thanks to God each and every day. She worshiped God in daily prayer, and with fasting and intercession on behalf of her people. And she never ceased to cling to God's word and to speak of his word to others to bring them encouragement and hope. She believed with hopeful expectation that she would one day see her Lord and Redeemer face to face. Anna is a model of persevering faith and hope to all who hunger for God and for his saving word.

The Holy Spirit renews our hope in the promise of God
Where do you place your hope? We can easily grow discouraged when trials and setbacks come our way, and we can grow cynical or give in to despair when failing health and advancing age rob us of our natural strength. Life's shortcomings and disappointments can either weigh us down or press us closer to God. The choice is ours - to rely on ourselves and our own strength or to put our trust wholly in God alone and in the grace and strength which he provides. Scripture reminds us that God gives us a (supernatural) hope beyond hope, a (divine) love stronger than death, and a (spiritual and unceasing) joy that no earthly sorrow or suffering can take away. 
 
Is your hope in this present life only? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire and longing for a home and a kingdom of unceasing joy and happiness with God our Creator and Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us an enduring kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit who dwells in us renews and strengthens our hope day by day as we listen to God's word and believe in his promises. God never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope which God places within us through the gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to persevere with confident trust in God even in the face of daily trails, setbacks, and challenges that come our way. 

The reward of seeking God's kingdom first
Is there anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified yes to his will and plan for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire - your life, family, friends, health, and provision for the future. If you seek his kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him now and to enjoy him forever in his everlasting kingdom of joy and peace.

"Lord Jesus, you alone are my hope and life. May I never cease to place all my trust in your unfailing love and mercy. Fill me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others to your saving presence and word of eternal life."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus, though rich, became poor for us, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"Anna, who, by reason of her years of widowhood and her virtues, is set before us as wholly worthy of belief, announces that the Redeemer of all people has come... Not without purpose, however, does he make mention of the eighty-four years of her widowhood, because both the seven twelves and the two forties seemed to imply a number that is sacred." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.62)

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, LUKE 2:36-40
Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
​(I John 2:12-17; Psalm 96)

KEY VERSE: "She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Israel" (v 38).
TO KNOW: Luke paralleled the account of Simeon (Lk 2:25-35) with that of Anna, a pious, elderly widow who spent her days in the Temple praying and fasting for the redemption of Israel. Widows, such as Anna, dedicated their lives to God through prayer and service, and were greatly respected in Israel. Anna was called a "prophetess," one who interpreted God's action in the world and spoke it forth. When Joseph and Mary brought their child to the Temple, Anna announced to everyone that the deliverance of Israel would be accomplished through Jesus. After fulfilling the required rites of purification, Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth where the child Jesus grew physically, intellectually and spiritually.
TO LOVE: How can I be of service to the widowed and elderly in my parish?
TO SERVE: Holy Spirit, help me to grow in wisdom and favor before God. ​

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Saturday 30 December 2017

1 John 2:12-17. Psalm 95(96):7-10. Luke 2:36-40.

Let heaven and earth exult in joy!—Psalm 95(96):7-10.

Anna is an interesting person in the gospel.

We are told that she was a prophetess, old, a widow, and served God day and night in the Temple. We are told elsewhere that Anna was given charge of Mary when Mary was dedicated, at age 11, to the Temple. Anna the prophetess recognised who the infant Jesus was. Anna praised God and ‘spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem’.

It is interesting that Anna is named as a prophetess. Interesting that a woman spoke in the Temple. Interesting that, with Simeon, she recognised the

baby for who he was. And she, a woman, proclaimed it. In the Temple.

Not many women are named in the Hebrew or Christian scriptures. Anna is one of the few. Time. Place. Proclamation. Interesting.

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LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 2,36-40

Lectio Divina: 

 Saturday, December 30, 2017

Christmas Time

1) Opening prayer
Almighty Father,
you let humble, faithful people
recognize your Son
and welcome him as the Saviour
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 Christ our Lord.

2) Gospel reading - Luke 2,36-40
There was a prophetess, 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.

3) Reflection
• In the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel, everything turns around the birth of two persons: John and Jesus. The two chapters make us feel the perfume of the Gospel of Luke. In it the environment is one of tenderness and of praise. From the beginning until the end, the mercy of God is sung and praised: The canticles of Mary (Lk 1, 46-55), of Zechariah (Lk 1, 68-79), of the Angels (Lk 2, 14), of Simeon (Lk 2, 29-32). Finally, God comes to fulfil his promises and he fulfils them in behalf of the poor, of the anawim, of those who know how to persevere and hope in his coming: Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds.
• Chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s Gospel are very well known, but not deepened enough. Luke writes imitating the writings of the Old Testament. It is as if the first two chapters of his Gospel were the last chapter of the Old Testament which opens the door for the coming of the New. These two chapters are the foundation or hinge between the New and the Old Testament. Luke wants to show that the prophecies are being realized. John and Jesus fulfil the Old and begin the New.
• Luke 2, 36-37: The life of the Prophetess Anna. “There was a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. 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 praying”. Like Judith (Jdt 8, 1-6), Anna was also a widow. Like Deborah (Jg 4, 4), she also was a prophetess. That is, a person who communicates something of God and who has a special opening toward the things of faith to the point of being able to communicate them to others. Anna got married when she was young, and lived seven years married, then she became a widow and continued to dedicate herself to God up to the age of eighty-four years. Today, in almost all our communities, in the whole world, we find groups of women of a certain age, many of them are widows, whose life is reassumed in prayer and in being present in the celebrations and in service to the neighbour.
• Luke 2, 38: Anna and the Child Jesus. “She came up just at that moment and began to praise God, and she spoke of the child to all who looked toward to the deliverance of Jerusalem”. She went to the Temple at the moment when Simeon embraces the child and speaks with Mary concerning the future of her son (Lk 2, 25-35). Luke suggests that Anna takes part in this gesture. The look of Anna is one of faith. She sees a child in the arms of his mother and discovers in him the Saviour of the world.
• Luke 2, 39-40: The life of Jesus in Nazareth. “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”. In these few words, Luke communicates something of the Mystery of the Incarnation. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1, 14). The Son of God becomes equal to us in all things and assumes the condition of Servant (Ph 2, 7). He was obedient even unto death and death on the cross (Ph 2, 8). He lived thirty-three years among us, and of these, he lived thirty in Nazareth. If we want to know how the life of the Son of God was during the years that he lived in Nazareth, we have to try to know the life of any Nazarene of that time, change his name, give him the name of Jesus and we will know the life of the Son of God in the thirty-three years of his life, in everything like us except sin (Heb 4, 15). During these years of his life, “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him”. In another passage, Luke affirms the same thing using other words. He says that the child “grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and men” (Lk 2, 52). To grow in wisdom means to assimilate the knowledge, the accumulated human experience throughout the centuries: the times, the feasts, the medicine, the plants, prayer, customs and uses, etc. This is learnt living and living together in the natural community of the people. To grow in age means, to be born small, to grow and to become an adult. This is the process of every human being, with his joys and his sadness, his discoveries and his frustrations, his anger and his love. This is learnt by living and by living together in the family, with the parents, the brothers and the sisters, the relatives. To grow in grace means: to discover the presence of God in the life, his action in everything that happens, vocation, his call. The Letter to the Hebrews says that: “Even if he was the Son, he learnt obedience through his sufferings” (Heb 5, 8).

4) Personal questions
• Do you know any persons like Anna, who have a look of faith on the things of life?
• To grow in wisdom, age and grace, how does this take place in my life?

5) Concluding prayer
Sing to Yahweh, bless his name!
Proclaim his salvation day after day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people! (Sal 96,2-3)

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