Anna and the Call

The 6^th Day in the Octave of Christmas

1 John 2:12-17; Luke 2:36-40

In their document on the Church known as Lumen Gentium, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us that, whoever and wherever we are, we are called by virtue of our baptism to conform ourselves as fully as possible to Christ. We probably know this as the “universal call to holiness.”

There are echoes of that call in today’s readings, especially in Luke. Throughout his gospel account, Luke is very careful to show how both men and women respond to God’s call. In fact, he goes so far as to “pair” them; where in one story he focuses on a man, in another, he puts the focus on a woman. For example, yesterday, Luke told us of Simeon; today, we meet his counterpart, Anna. Let’s take a moment to look at her in a little more detail, for like Simeon, she gives us insight into our own call to holiness.

First, Luke says that Anna was elderly, lost her husband after 7 years of marriage, then lived as a widow for a long time. If she had children, she raised them herself; in any case, life probably wasn’t easy, and certainly by the age of 84, she was feeling the effects of it. Still, God called her as he calls everyone, despite her afflictions. And why wouldn’t He? Remember the words of St. Paul: affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

As if to prove the truth of this, Luke shows us how Anna responded to the call: She virtually haunted the temple, constantly fasting and praying. When we are overwhelmed by life to the point of thinking we can’t take any more, it’s a real temptation to do the opposite: to avoid God, blame Him, or convince ourselves that silence means He isn’t listening. Remember Anna’s resolute faith, tested by years of endurance; she knew, perhaps without realizing it, that God also moves in silence, is always near, and that the grace of faith draws us where we most need to be: even nearer to Him.

We see next that she couldn’t get much closer! To Anna is given the vision that people over the centuries longed for, but never saw: the Christ of the Lord. As with Simeon, who other than the Holy Spirit could have led her to that wondrous moment? Again, how did she respond? Two ways. First, she gave thanks to God. Scripture consistently urges us to do this, for His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1); He alone is the source of all blessings (Romans 11:36), the only refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), and the font all mercy (Psalm 28:6). Are we, like Anna, remembering to thank God first and foremost?

Second, Anna did what a prophet should do: she told others about him. This might be a sticking point for us. What are we supposed to do – go door to door, stop people in the streets, put up signs, what? Perhaps the best answer is to think about what we did when we had such good news, such joy, or felt such love that we had to share it with others. We certainly talked about it, but we also might have shown some nonverbal signs – a look in our eyes, a brightness in our hearts, a willingness to reach out to others. All these are infectious; others see and are moved by them. Some of the most Christlike people I have ever known never spoke a word to me about Jesus, but they wrote volumes about him in my heart. How? It was written into who they were; the way they consistently treated me, and how I saw them treat others, made me hunger for whatever or whoever it was they had that I did not. In every case, they had Christ, and they gave him to me and everyone else.

This is what Anna did; this is the universal call to holiness. Let us all ask the intercession of St. Anna the Prophetess, that we may have such deep love of God that we too cannot wait to share it in whatever ways we can, all for the glory of God and the love of our neighbor.

St. Anna the Prophetess, pray for us.

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