What does our
faith call us to do? Back before the
Second Vatican Council, many Catholics approached their faith from the
perspective of the obligations and demands it puts on them. We see some
believers who look at the bare minimum they must do in order to live out their
faith. As a priest, it
edifies me to see those in our parish who are called to specific devotions and
practices to live out their faith, such as those who pray weekly in the
presence of the blessed sacrament, or those of you who faithfully come to the
daily mass to be fed by the Eucharist and by God's holy word.
Today, we hear
about a widow named Anna who never left the Temple. She worshipped
God through fasting and prayer, both day and night. Obviously, this
was Anna's calling, since I doubt she would have been able to persevere in such
deep devotion without her faith or without a calling from God. While many in
Ancient Israel were not able to recognize Jesus as the Son of God even in the
midst of his miracles and his public ministry, Anna and Simeon were able to
instantly recognize Jesus as the child who would bring redemption to the people
of Israel. We're told that
Anna was a prophetess. Her simple act of
love and prophecy still speaks to us so strongly today.
Where is God
calling us to live out our faith? Where are we
called to go beyond the bare minimum? Just as Anna saw
Jesus' true identity in the little baby who was brought to the Temple by his
family in accordance to Jewish law, where do we see Jesus in our world
today? There are good
questions to ask ourselves, especially in the context of our Catholic faith and
in the Year of Mercy that we are celebrating this year.
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