HOMILY FOR SATURDAY, SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS (1)
HOMILY FOR SATURDAY, SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS.
HOMILY THEME: NEVER GET TIRED OF WAITING ON GOD
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
(Lk. 2:36-40)
In the day’s Gospel we have the other half of the twin vigilants for the coming of the Messiah in the person of prophetess Anna. Like Simeon, she had been holding vigil in fasting and prayer in anticipation of the promise of her seeing the Messiah being presented in the temple.
You can just imagine her happiness when she finally recognized the coming of the Messiah being carried by His parents, Joseph and Mary. Like any other Jew, they were longing for His coming not only for their own peace but also for Israel. While many Jews saw the coming as freedom from foreign rule, Anna (and Simeon) saw deeper. As it happened, it was not just a coming to address Israel’s captivity and enslavement. It was a coming to save mankind from the bondage of sin. Indeed, it is a cause of great joy and fulfillment.
Yet, many of us remained imprisoned in sin. St. Paul was right in questioning why many of us who had been freed still prefer to be imprisoned. Our ransom was no less than God’s only begotten Son. That is how important we are to God. We are expected to to appreciate what God had done. At least, we should also respect our dignity and holiness. While God did not require our consent when we were created, He will not save us without our consent. salvation may have been wrought to us by Jesus. But we have to continue to live and profess it.
Anna waited for so long for the coming of the Messiah. She did not live to see what the Messiah had done. For her, seeing Him born was enough. Anna’s faith assured her of the promised salvation. We too may not have seen it, but we knew how and that it happened. We are expected to respond with more faith. Let us not waste this opportunity. God had done the perfect act of loving and salvation. Let us respond as perfectly as we can.
