REMAINING STEADFAST
“There was a prophetess, Anna... 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.” ~ Luke 2:36-38
I realized over the past few years that when God wants to talk to me, He does so in surround sound. I not only hear him in meditation, but also hear Him speak through people around me, read a line in a book, see a post on social media, watch something on TV. When God wants to tell me something, He is persistent in His communication until I receive the message. In case there was any question as to how I came to choose today’s readings (I merely picked a random date on a Google sheet), the prophetess mentioned is named Anna. As I mentioned – surround sound.
Anna, like God, was persistent. She was widowed at a young age but remained faithful to her marriage until her elder years. She was persistent in her prayers, in her gratitude to God and in her mission to tell everyone about Jesus. The Anna that I am right now wishes I was as persistent as the Anna in this gospel, but truthfully, I am struggling.
I felt called to quit a steady, full-time job two years ago, and while I’ve worked hard to start a business, it’s still new and unstable. I was called to complete a 3-year program to be a spiritual director but haven’t been asked to meet by any of my directees in months. I end this year with more questions than answers, and though I speak to God when doubts come to pass, my prayers have begun to feel tedious and listless, and my persistence is starting to wane.
It is the false spirit’s intention to place enough doubt so that we lose faith in God’s promise to accompany us through, but I’ve received enough grace to know that suddenly wanting to stop praying is an invitation to pray more; and often fear and uncertainty can bear fruit in the form of patience and deeper faith. Though our persistence encounters the occasional distraction (or perhaps frequent stoppage), God is steadfast in His love and faith in us even and especially when we are not. So let us heed God’s surround sound in our lives. Let His persistence help us to maintain, or maybe reawaken ours.
Anna Gonda