About Today
Tuesday 30 December 2025
6th day within the octave of Christmas
Christ has been born for us: come, let us adore him.
Year: A(II). Liturgical Colour: White.
There was a prophetess, Anna
Gospel: Luke 2:36-40
At that time: There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
And when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
Reflection on the painting
At the heart of today’s Gospel stands Anna, an elderly widow of eighty-four years. For decades she had made the Temple her home, living a life shaped by fasting, prayer, and just spending time with God, quiety. By this stage in her long life, prayer was no longer something she did so much as the way she lived. She was deeply at ease in God’s presence; communion with Him had become her natural language.
We still meet people like Anna in our parish churches today. Faithful older people who are quietly, steadily present. they pray in our churches and the same elderly people seem to be present so much o feh time. Their closeness to God often spills over into kindness, generosity, and a gentle wisdom in their dealings with others. When I talk to them, you can sense they have a closeness to God which is very beautiful.
It was Anna’s prayerful attentiveness that allowed her to recognise the child of Mary and Joseph for who he truly was: the long-awaited Messiah. And once she recognised Him, she could not keep silent. She spoke of the child to all who were longing for redemption, becoming one of the very first proclaimers of the Good News. This elderly lady became one of the first evangelisers, just like so many elderly people today are too! Their quiet witness, inspiring others.
Rembrandt’s painting beautifully captures the very spirit of Anna’s quiet devotion. The old woman sits simply, not in a grand pose or dramatic gesture, but in the gentle rhythm of daily life, absorbed in her reading. There is nothing theatrical about her posture or expression; instead, Rembrandt paints her with quiet dignity and humble attentiveness, as though the act of reading itself is her prayer.
This simplicity and stillness perfectly echo what we know of Anna in today’s Gospel. She was not a person of worldly power or eloquent speech, but a woman shaped by persistent waiting and prayer. Rembrandt reminds us that holiness is not always found in grand gestures, but in the quiet devotion of everyday life; a life attuned to God, attentive to Scripture, and open to God’s movements in the ordinary.
The Prophetess Anna Reading,
Painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669), Painted in 1631,
Oil on oak wood panel
© Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
6th day within the octave of Christmas
Christ has been born for us: come, let us adore him.
Year: A(II). Liturgical Colour: White.
There was a prophetess, Anna
Gospel: Luke 2:36-40
At that time: There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
And when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
Reflection on the painting
At the heart of today’s Gospel stands Anna, an elderly widow of eighty-four years. For decades she had made the Temple her home, living a life shaped by fasting, prayer, and just spending time with God, quiety. By this stage in her long life, prayer was no longer something she did so much as the way she lived. She was deeply at ease in God’s presence; communion with Him had become her natural language.
We still meet people like Anna in our parish churches today. Faithful older people who are quietly, steadily present. they pray in our churches and the same elderly people seem to be present so much o feh time. Their closeness to God often spills over into kindness, generosity, and a gentle wisdom in their dealings with others. When I talk to them, you can sense they have a closeness to God which is very beautiful.
It was Anna’s prayerful attentiveness that allowed her to recognise the child of Mary and Joseph for who he truly was: the long-awaited Messiah. And once she recognised Him, she could not keep silent. She spoke of the child to all who were longing for redemption, becoming one of the very first proclaimers of the Good News. This elderly lady became one of the first evangelisers, just like so many elderly people today are too! Their quiet witness, inspiring others.
Rembrandt’s painting beautifully captures the very spirit of Anna’s quiet devotion. The old woman sits simply, not in a grand pose or dramatic gesture, but in the gentle rhythm of daily life, absorbed in her reading. There is nothing theatrical about her posture or expression; instead, Rembrandt paints her with quiet dignity and humble attentiveness, as though the act of reading itself is her prayer.
This simplicity and stillness perfectly echo what we know of Anna in today’s Gospel. She was not a person of worldly power or eloquent speech, but a woman shaped by persistent waiting and prayer. Rembrandt reminds us that holiness is not always found in grand gestures, but in the quiet devotion of everyday life; a life attuned to God, attentive to Scripture, and open to God’s movements in the ordinary.
The Prophetess Anna Reading,
Painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669), Painted in 1631,
Oil on oak wood panel
© Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam