Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - Dec. 30 - 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:12-17 and Luke 2:36-40]And coming forward at that very time, [Anna] gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. [Luke]
Today the spotlight in the temple moves from Simeon the prophet to Anna the prophetess! She is the second of the two elderly people featured in this story! Besides being a pious woman (maybe the patroness of all "Church Ladies"), she also becomes a model disciple! Having encountered Jesus she proclaimed him to everyone! She is like the shepherds who went to the stable on Christmas Day, or the Magi who dared to mention the birth of Jesus to Herod and his court and unwittingly endangered others!
The Octave of Christmas and the scriptures chosen for Mass during this time tell us that Jesus' birth is a great and dangerous event. Throughout his ministry, Jesus warns disciples that proclaiming him can be dangerous. Simeon's prophecy includes that danger, and one wonders what visitors to the temple afterward thought about that elderly lady talking about the baby she just encountered? The feast of the Holy Innocents, the victims of Herod's murderous ego, was displaced this past Sunday by the feast of the Holy Family, but the Holy Innocents (and the feasts of St. Stephen and St. Thomas Beckett) add to the warning message.
In our USA culture, the elderly do not have quite the important status that other cultures accord them. The blessing of old age is one of the ones often mentioned in the Bible. Anna and Simeon can be reminders that the prophetic voice of the elderly can be powerful! AMEN
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