It's a
Feria,
4th Class, with the color of
Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Thoughts of the Heart of Jesus", today's news from the Church: "Defending the Liturgical Reform Despite a Crisis", a preview of this week's episode of The SSPX Podcast: "Audioboook Ch. 15 - Charter of Resistance", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
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Sources Used Today:
- "The Thoughts of the Heart of Jesus" — From the Assumption to Advent
- "Defending the Liturgical Reform Despite a Crisis" (FSSPX.news)
- The SSPX Podcast: "Audioboook Ch. 15 - Charter of Resistance" (SSPX Podcast)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook:
Anna the Prophetess appears in only a few verses of Saint Luke's Gospel, but those few verses describe a woman who had spent almost her entire adult life waiting for one particular moment.
She lived in Jerusalem and belonged to the tribe of Asher, one of the ancient tribes of Israel. Luke even preserves the name of her father, Phanuel, which is remarkable considering how little Scripture tells us about her.
Anna had been married as a young woman, but her husband died after only seven years.
And then she did something unusual.
Rather than remarry, Anna devoted the rest of her life to God. By the time we meet her in the Gospel, she is an elderly widow, traditionally understood to be eighty-four years old. Saint Luke tells us that she "departed not from the temple," serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.
Think about how many ordinary days that represents.
She watched generations of families enter the Temple.
She saw priests come and go.
She watched children grow into adults and bring children of their own.
And she kept praying.
Then one day, an ordinary-looking young couple walked in carrying a baby.
Mary and Joseph had come to present Jesus according to the Law of Moses. There was no royal procession. No crowd waiting for the Messiah. Just two parents carrying a child and making the offering of a poor family.
But Anna knew.
The elderly Simeon had already taken Jesus into his arms and proclaimed Him the salvation God had promised. Then Anna approached.
Scripture doesn't tell us exactly what she said, which almost makes the scene more intriguing. We are simply told that she began giving thanks to God and speaking about the Child "to all that looked for the redemption of Israel."
In other words, Anna became one of the very first evangelists.
Before the Apostles.
Before John the Baptist began preaching.
Before Jesus had spoken a single public sermon.
An elderly widow was already telling people that the Redeemer had arrived.
There's another beautiful detail hidden in her name. Anna, or Hannah, means "grace" or "favor." Her father Phanuel's name recalls Peniel, "the face of God." Ancient Christian writers naturally saw something fitting there: Anna, after decades of prayer, was finally given the grace of looking upon the face of God in the Christ Child.
And then she almost completely disappears from history.
We don't know how long she lived afterward or what became of her.
Perhaps that's appropriate.
Anna's whole life wasn't about becoming known. It was about being ready.
She reminds us that years spent quietly praying are never wasted. Sometimes God is preparing us for a moment we cannot yet see.
Holy Anna the Prophetess, patient watcher of Israel and joyful herald of the Christ Child, pray for us.
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What is the SSPX Podcast?
The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
What is the SSPX?
The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
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