Sixth day within the Nativity Octave

"Lk 2:36 –40" And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Anna was a holy woman. She was a soul of prayer and of penance. That made it possible for her to discover Jesus among all the people who visited the temple. She saw the Baby in the arms of Mary and she recognised Him. How many people were oblivious to the presence of God in their midst! How many passed by Mary, Joseph and Jesus and didn't recognise them. But Anna did.

To be able to recognise someone you need to know that person first. And we get to know Jesus in the Eucharist and in our daily conversation with Him. But after meeting Jesus and giving thanks to God, Anna didn't keep her joy to herself. The Gospel says that she "spoke of him to all." She went around sharing her joy of having found Jesus and of knowing that our redemption had begun. She became the first 'apostle' to teach others about Jesus.

Anna didn't think it was enough to give thanks to God for having found the Messiah. She didn't think it was enough to tell a few people about it. The Gospel says she spoke about Him to everyone. In an interview with St Teresa of Calcutta someone asked her if she and her sisters talked about God with the sick and poor. "Naturally!" she replied; "we teach them to pray, try to bring them to God through the sacrament of confession." The journalist made the point that we don't always have to talk about Jesus. The holy nun answered, "What else do we have to talk about, then? We would not be missionaries if we didn't talk about Jesus. We would be acting for something… but we act for Someone!" Mary, Queen of the Apostles, intercede for me that I can be daring enough to talk about your Son to everyone, with words and deeds.