Anna, the Prophetess

Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord

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Gospel of 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.

Anna the Prophetess  In today's gospel, we read about Anna the Prophetess who was one of the first to announce the good news of Christ.  During the presentation of Jesus in the temple, she praised God knowing this special child would redeem the world.  She had been waiting years for the coming of a savior.   Anna never left the temple, worshiping day and night with fasting and prayer.  I wonder if people considered poor Anna as just an old senile woman.  She  mumbled prayers all day long, barely ate, and obviously had nobody to care for her since she lived in the temple! I think of Anna as a fine example of devoutness to God.  Even in her old age, she remained vigilant in prayer.  Her prayers were finally answered with the birth of Christ.  God's merciful providence revealed!

I write to you   We have been blessed by scripture readings from the First Letter of John during this Octave.  In today's first reading, John mentions writing to fathers, young men, children, etc. about the word of God, conquering the Evil One, and forgiving sins.  He warns:  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.

I've always loved to write.  Before the age of email, I used to hand write letters to friends and family members.  I found it very intimate, personal and refreshing.  With digital everything now, that intimacy is somewhat lost.  Just think back in biblical times writing was painstakingly difficult.  Literacy was only available to the learned and the wealthy.  People told stories verbally before they ever learned to write them down.  

Handwriting is a dying art!  I remember spending hours in school perfecting my handwriting.  I always wanted to write legibly and beautifully.  Today cursive is barely taught in school.  Spelling and grammar has taken a backslide.  People write sentences more often in text-language than correct English.  It really saddens me since English and literature has always been something I loved.  

I thank God every day that the sacred writers took the time to transpose and record stories of the Old and New Testaments.  What if they were lazy like so many "writers" today and didn't carefully check their spelling and grammar?  What if the bible was all text-talk?  Can you imagine the confusion?  It's difficult enough to interpret the bible, but if the stories had not be written well they would never have survived long enough for us to cherish them.

Let us take time to prayerfully read scripture this week.  Why don't we write a letter to a friend or a relative telling them how much we love them? 

I write to you, Dear Lord.  Thank you for all of your infinite blessings.....

Prophetess Anna, Pray for Us!

-J.