The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 203
Reading 1
1 John 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 Psalm
Psalm 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.
Gospel
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.
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.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
A Unique and Sacred Calling
There was a prophetess, Anna…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. Luke 2:36–38
We all have a unique and sacred calling given to us from God. Each one of us is called to fulfill that calling with generosity and wholehearted commitment. As the famous prayer of Saint John Henry Newman puts it:
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons…
Anna, the prophetess, was given a very unique, one-of-a-kind mission. When she was young, she was married for seven years. Then after losing her husband, she remained a widow until she was eighty-four. During those decades of her life, the Scripture reveals that “She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” What an incredible calling from God!
Anna’s unique calling was to be a prophetess. She fulfilled this calling by allowing her whole life to be a symbol of the Christian vocation. Her life was spent in prayer, fasting and, most especially, in anticipation. God called her to wait, year after year, decade after decade, for the one and definitive moment of her life: her encounter with the Christ Child in the Temple.
Anna’s prophetic life tells us that we each must live our lives in such a way that our ultimate goal is to continually prepare for the moment when we meet our divine Lord in the Temple of Heaven. Unlike Anna, most are not called to literal fasting and prayer every day all day within the church buildings. But like Anna, we must all foster an interior life of ongoing prayer and penance, and we must direct all of our actions in life to the praise and glory of God and the salvation of our souls. Though the way this universal vocation is lived out will be unique to each and every person, Anna’s life is nonetheless a symbolic prophecy of every vocation.
Reflect, today, upon how well you imitate this holy woman in your own life. Do you foster an interior life of prayer and penance and daily seek to devote yourself to the glory of God and the salvation of your soul? Evaluate your life this day in light of the wonderful prophetic life of Anna that we are given to ponder.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
THE FIRST DETACHMENT?
“Have no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords.” —1 John 2:15
In traditional Catholic spirituality, we emphasize the virtue of detachment from the world’s prideful desires, for “the world with its seductions is passing away but the man who does God’s will endures forever” (1 Jn 2:17). Those called to the consecrated life are to be exceptional examples of the detachment from the world which all Christians should have. For example, Anna “was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer” (Lk 2:37).
In modern Western materialism and consumerism, we tend to emphasize attachment. Many of us want to possess a lot of “stuff” to the point that we are often possessed by our possessions. We can even put our possessions ahead of Jesus and walk away from Him in our sad possessiveness (Mk 10:22).
We cannot serve God and mammon, that is, the things of the world (Mt 6:24), for, “if anyone loves the world, the Father’s love has no place in him” (1 Jn 2:15). Tomorrow in the Western world is New Year’s Eve. Traditionally in our society, many people give the first hours and the first fruits of the new year to worldly celebrations. What will you do? Will you start the new year attached to the world and detached from God or attached to God and detached from the world?
Prayer: Father, teach me to relate to the world as Jesus does (see 1 Jn 4:17; Jn 17:16).
Promise: “I address you, young men, for you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.” —1 Jn 2:14
Praise: An African community prayer group meets faithfully six days each week in the Bronx borough of New York City to offer prayers for the victims of COVID-19.
Reflection 3
Shared from Daily Liturgy
In the Book of Samuel, we see Hanna, mother of Samuel, who found favour in the sight of the Lord when she turned to him in distress. In today’s Gospel we see Anna who also found favour in the sight of the Lord and was blessed to see the Messiah. The priority and purpose of her life was to see the “Saviour” of Israel. She prepared herself to receive the Lord through fasting and prayer and spending the major part of her life in the Temple. Though eighty-four, she never lost hope. In Israel all waited for the Messiah, but only a few could recognize Him. It is not our position or wisdom that helps us to see the Lord, but the purity and the desire of our heart.
Prayers
Lord, I thank You for the powerful witness of the prophetess Anna. May her lifelong devotion to You, a life of continual prayer and sacrifice, be a model and inspiration for me and for all who follow You. I pray that You daily reveal to me the unique way in which I am called to live out my vocation to total dedication to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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 Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 364: Prayer for the Dying
In regard to your eternal salvation, the hour of your death is so very important. When you pray the “Hail Mary” prayer, you pray specifically for this sacred hour. It is a holy hour. But it is also an hour when the evil one will lash out at you one more time to try to steal your soul for all eternity. It is essential that you spend your life preparing for this sacred hour by your prayers, a life of sacrifice, and a life of charity. But it is also essential that you pray for those who are in their last hour. For some, this is a moment of true spiritual battle. See it as a duty of charity to regularly remember those who are in their last hour in your prayers. They will thank you in Heaven (See Diary #1798).
Reflect upon your death this day, and especially try to pray the rosary for this moment. Consider, also, making a commitment to pray for those who are dying. Death brings many temptations, such as fear, and is a time when much grace is needed. Pray that every soul, including your own, will enter this hour with confidence and faith, trusting in the abundant Mercy of God.
Lord, I offer You my last hour in this life and pray for all those who will face this moment today. May it be a sweet hour in which we are surrounded by Your angels and saints. May we especially receive the consolation of knowing the prayers of Your dear Mother at this moment. Mother Mary, pray for us, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You.
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