Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

"She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem."

Gospel Reading: 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.

Today's Gospel reading is about hope and prayer. We hear the story of a widow who dedicated her life to prayer and communion with God. The Gospel reading says she worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. She completely dedicated her life to the hope and glory of God our Father. In her case, this hope became the desire for the kingdom of heaven to come forth. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, Anna recognized that her hope and desire had been answered. She came forth and witnessed that the Christ child was the hope and salvation that Jerusalem was waiting for.

We can experience the same hope and joy that Anna experienced by dedicating our lives to Christ. The hope which God placed in our heart from our birth is the hope for eternal life and happiness. Our hope grows in our prayers and our worship. It grows as we encounter Christ in the sacraments and most importantly, it grows when we encounter Christ in the Eucharist. Anna is a model of dedication to God. She prayed and fasted daily for God. We should also strive to be like Anna by daily committing to encounter Christ through our own fasting and prayer. Fasting should include eliminating those things from our lives which separate us from Christ or those things that diminish our prayer life. We must grow in hope and faith. To do so, we must be willing to place our complete trust in God. We must rely on his strength and not our own. We must submit our lives to the Holy Spirit who will strengthen us to do His will. Start by asking yourself a very simple question – Does my heart truly hope for God to grow within me? How you answer this question will determine your commitment to God in your life.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, I am weak and you are strong.

May my hope and faith grow for you.

I commit my life to you to have as you will.

Help me grow in hope and faith.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon