Are You Giving God His Due?
Gospel Reflection - Monday, December 30th
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.
— Luke 2:36-40
This part of Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke narrates how, 40 days after his birth, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to consecrate him to God, as prescribed by Jewish Law.
The Gospel for today focuses on the prophetess Anna, and describes her behavior at the temple. We are told that she “worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer”. We are also told that s”he gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Compare Anna’s behavior with our own: how often do we set aside time to worship God through fasting and prayer? How often do we speak about Jesus to all those lost souls who desperately need Him?
It’s not necessary to spend all day and all night praying in the temple, like Anna. But her faithfulness and commitment to God should make us question if we’re truly giving God His due.
Are you, like Anna, praying to and worshipping God often?
Or are you frequently letting the comings and goings of daily life distract you from your spiritual duties?
Are you, like Anna, practicing frequent fasting and asceticism to discipline your body and mind and learn detachment from the world? Or are you forgetting the importance of self-denial in your pursuit of sanctity?
Are you, like Anna, speaking joyfully and often about Christ to those around you?
Or are you hiding your faith in shame, out of fear of being criticized by the world?
This is not an attempt to judge or criticize. I am very much one of the many who need to learn from Anna. I, too, fail to give God His due more often than I’d like.
The point is that we can see today’s Gospel as a wake up call, and remember to place God at the very center of our lives, to honor Him in all that we do, and to never let the world and its influences distract us from our main purpose here on earth: to serve and love God, night and day, with all our hearts.
Thank you for reading, and God bless you!
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