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Stories Seldom Heard
307th Edition -
February, 2025
The Prophetess Anna - Luke: Chapter 2:
22-40
Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard. Sunday, February 2nd, is the feast day
of Mary’s purification and the presentation of Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem.
To celebrate this feast, a reading from Luke’s Gospel has been inserted into a
long line of Sunday readings from Mark. Luke’s Gospel introduces us to two very
holy and faithful people who are not mentioned in the other gospels: Simeon and
Anna. Simeon recognized Jesus as "the light to the Gentiles” and “the glory for
your people Israel" (Lk 2:30). Anna also recognized the child and “gave thanks
to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of
Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38).
Often Simeon is the only person whose story we hear because the preacher has a
choice to use either the shorter or longer version of the Gospel
(1). The shorter version stops before we hear about Anna’s
presence. What a shame! Scripture reminds us that God calls all people—women and
men—to be prophets and to proclaim the Good News. Anna understands her
responsibility and immediately begins to preach.
Despite Anna's near invisibility and brief appearance, this passage offers us a
unique insight into her character. She also reminds us of the graces that come
as a result of a life of prayer. Anna is of the tribe of Asher, one of the
twelve sons of Jacob. In this passage, they name her the “daughter of Phanuel.”
Phanuel could refer to her blood line, but the reference also has another
connotation. We might miss the importance of this reference, but the Jewish
community understood. Phanuel is the place where Jacob met "the stranger" or
"the angel" (Gen 32:23 -32). All night long Jacob, Anna’s ancestor, wrestled
with a powerful force that never gave up. At dawn the angel gave Jacob a
blessing and a new name, Israel. Jacob named that place Phanuel: the place of
struggle where he "met God face to face." To be remembered as the daughter of
Phanuel is to say she is a woman who never abandoned her search for God even if
it meant a life of struggle and because of that she, like her ancestor Jacob,
met God face-to-face.
We don't know a lot about Anna's life, but we can assume it wasn’t easy. She was
a widow, after only seven years of marriage. Even though she was probably only a
teenager when she got married, she never remarried. She never had children or a
family of her own. She led a very lonely and difficult existence in a culture
where children were a sign of God's blessing. But Anna was no withering widow,
even in a society that offered women limited options. She didn't get lost in a
small village or become an anonymous temple dweller. She was the “daughter of
Phanuel,” a faithful daughter even in the midst of darkness and doubt. Nothing
blocked her search for God. Nothing lessened her trust in God, not even the
struggles involved in a long life of widowhood and waiting!
Waiting is not one of our favorite occupations. The adage “practice makes
perfect” usually doesn’t fit the situation. Often the longer we wait the more
difficult it is to hope that what we expect will come to be. But Anna is the
daughter of Phanuel. She understood the importance of holding on to the end,
even if it meant daily disappointment and careful vigilance. How and when the
Promise would be fulfilled was a mystery and she was willing to dwell within
that mystery.
I've often wondered how many times, in her thirties, fifties, and into her
eighties, Anna had to adjust her expectations of the Promise that God made. What
illusions did she have to let go of to recognize the Promised One of God?
Certainly, she would not have expected the Promised One to come as an eight-day
old child bundled in plain, common cloth. "Wonderful, Counselor, a mighty King,
the Prince of Peace," would most likely arrive in purple and gold: royal
clothing. Where was his entourage to announce his arrival?
Don’t you wonder? Was it disturbing to Anna that Mary and Joseph were poor
people who couldn’t even afford a lamb to offer to God? Did Anna question God’s
judgment? God's choice of Jesus' parents? Or perhaps, did she question her own
judgment? How did she know she was not mistaken before she "spoke to all who
looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem?" (Lk 2:38).
Anna spoke with clarity. She was a prophetess: the mouthpiece of God. Waiting
sharpened her discernment. It purified her vision. It gave her time to pray and
ponder the prophetic words of scripture. Attentive waiting deepened Anna’s
relationship with God and it can do the same for us. Waiting can help us
reevaluate our expectations and clarify what we have mistaken for the truth.
Waiting can give us the wisdom to let go of what is false. Waiting, used well,
can give us the courage to be disillusioned without losing hope. In fact, Thomas
Merton describes this kind of attentive waiting as prayer.
Truly Anna is a watch woman for God. Eighty-four years old and waiting, not for
death, but for new life. Anna's quite a teacher. She teaches us how to move
gracefully through the seasons of our lives: the seasons of struggle, insecurity
and change without losing hope. Her faithfulness to prayer and fasting reminds
us of what carries us through unexpected cold winters of grief, and dry summers
of unanswered hopes. She also teaches us that often God appears to us at
unexpected times and in ways we least expect.
Anna's story is not exactly comforting. It would be easier to hear that the
process of meeting God face-to-face is a much gentler evolution. But that's not
the way Anna's life developed and often our lives follow the same pattern. Yet,
in the process Anna became a prophetess, one who recognized and announced the
arrival of the Promised One. We, too, are called to be daughters and sons of
Phanuel: people who struggle with our questions, delayed answers and
disappointments; people who trust that while we wait God has not left us on our
own; people who become wiser and more discerning as we wait; people who with
surety proclaim God’s small and large daily arrivals; people who wait not for
death, but for abundant life.
1. Simeon’s prayer, the "Nunc
Dimittis," is a prayer we pray each day as part of the Divine Office (the
official prayer of the church).
Special thanks to Mary Ellen Green
and Maria Hetherton who have helped in editing this article. Also,
special thanks to Bob McGrath who conscientiously mails SSH to you
each month. Without Bob’s generosity, this service would not be possible. To
make changes or remove your name from Stories Seldom Heard mailing list, please
contact Bob at robert.mcgrath@mgrc.com.
Thank you.
"Stories Seldom Heard" is a monthly article
written by Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P. Sister is a Dominican
Sister of San Rafael, California. This service is offered to the Christian
Community to enrich one's personal and spiritual life. The articles can be used
for individual or group reflection. If you would like "Stories Seldom Heard"
sent to a friend, please send a note to Sister Patricia at
brunoop2017@gmail.com. If you
would like to support this ministry, please send a donation to Dominican Sisters
of San Rafael, c/o Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P., 40 Locust Avenue, San Rafael, CA
94901. Thank you.
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