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AnnasongMonday, December 27, 2004
Luke 2:36-40 Coming up to Joseph, Mary and Jesus she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
Something about Jesus and his parents drew her to them. Fasting quickens all the senses, including the spiritual ones, and Anna heard God in ways others did not. God's whisper may have moved her toward Jesus. What did she see around him - an aura, a halo? What did she feel when she approached, when she touched his face, when she took him in her arms? Like Simeon, she felt the power of Jesus' future and the import of his life on her beloved Jerusalem. She knew he would change everything. She knew her prayers and fasting for the future of her people would change now, now that Jesus had come. She could pray prayers of gratitude and joy, of hope and faith realized in her own days on earth. The sacrifice, the silence and stillness that Anna endured allowed her this experience with baby Jesus. Jesus eight days young and Anna eighty years old, knowing their Father together, announcing the coming of the kingdom of God. Their bodies as different as they could be, their spirits joining to rejoice and praise God together. O Father, no words express this everlasting ecstasy, and peace that passes every understanding as we hold this child and feel your spirit together. You have sent us your son!
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Anna never left the temple. She loved that place. She knew every corner, the dark places and where the light shone through the windows at dawn, at noon, at dusk. One day passed into the next; Anna stayed close to the holy place.