MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 30 DECEMBER
December 30, 2025
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
30 DECEMBER, 2025
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.
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
It is said of Anna in the gospel reading that she was eighty four years old and had become a widow after only seven years of marriage. By the standards of the time, Anna was a very old woman indeed. Yet, she seems to be living a very fruitful life, from a spiritual point of view. She never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer, and she spoke about the child Jesus to all who were looking forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
She had a rich prayer life and was a preacher of the gospel, proclaiming the birth of the Saviour to all. She is described as a prophetess, someone who was prayerfully attentive to God’s word and who proclaimed that word to others. She reminds us that as we grow older physically, we can grow more vibrant spiritually. There are many things we can no longer do as the years take their toll on our bodies. However, our relationship with the Lord can deepen and grow as we decline physically.
Our prayer life can deepen with the passing of the years, as can our freedom to witness to the Lord with whom we are in prayerful communion. Anna shows us that the Lord can have important work for us to do in our old age. We often have more time and space as we get older, and that can be an opportunity for the Lord both to draw us into a deeper relationship with himself through prayer and to send us out from prayer to witness to our relationship with him by our service of others.
Perhaps that is why there are so many people like Anna, male and female, prayerfully present in our parish churches and rendering all sorts of services for the Lord and his people quietly and humbly. Saint Paul in one of his letters says that the Lord’s power is often made perfect in weakness. Anna is a living witness to that truth, as are many elderly parishioners today.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for the witness of Anna, who waited with faithful hope. Teach us patience in our own waiting and perseverance in prayer. May our lives quietly reflect Your goodness. Amen
