The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, little children, because you know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
Don't love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love isn't in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life —isn't the Father's, but is the world's. The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God's will remains forever.
Ascribe to the Lord, you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is also established. It can't be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher ( she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years ), who didn't depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
What strikes me most about Anna in today's Gospel is her incredible persistence. For eighty-four years as a widow, she remained in the temple, fasting and praying night and day. When I think about my own prayer life, I sometimes struggle to maintain focus for even twenty minutes. Yet Anna shows us what it looks like to live in constant expectation of God's promises.
Anna represents something beautiful about the Christmas season that extends beyond December 25th. She was looking for redemption, waiting for God to act, and when she encountered the infant Jesus, she immediately recognized him and shared the good news with others. Her life was oriented entirely toward this divine encounter.
This connects powerfully with John's letter to us today. He writes to different groups - children, fathers, young men - reminding each that they have overcome, that they know God, that their sins are forgiven. What I find beautiful here is that John doesn't separate these groups by their struggles, but by their victories in Christ. We're not defined by what we lack, but by what God has already accomplished in us.
Yet John also warns us about loving the world's offerings - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. These aren't necessarily dramatic sins; they're often the subtle ways we seek fulfillment in temporary things rather than in God's eternal love.
Like Anna, we're called to live in expectation, recognizing Christ in our ordinary encounters. Whether we're in our twenties or eighties, whether we're parents, single, or somewhere in between, we have this same calling to watch and wait and recognize God's presence.
What would it look like to approach this ordinary day with Anna's expectant heart? How might we recognize Christ in the people we encounter today? Where are we seeking fulfillment in temporary things rather than in God's eternal promises?