Thursday – 6th Day in Christmas Octave

Gospel – Luke2:36-40

Honor Your Elders

Temple Mount, Jerusalem 

I wonder sometimes if we ever truly appreciate and cherish our elders, our grandparents and great-grandparents.  Growing up, my grandmother lived right next door to us. And yet it was always such a struggle for my mom to encourage us (me) to just walk over and spend time with Mom Mom.  As a kid, I suppose I felt I had better things to do. 

In the summertime, there would always be a couple of weeks when my great-grandmother would come and stay with my grandma.  We would go over, offer our greetings and then quickly high-tail it outside to play.  Oh how I wish I could recover/relive those moments.  You see, my great-grandma was the daughter of Dr. Samuel Mudd.  Can you imagine how many questions I would have today and how many stories she could have shared and I could have passed on to my own grandkids!  Such a lost opportunity!

And yet the Bible gets it right! In the Old Testament, the elderly were viewed as teachers, infinite sources of wisdom and counsel!  They were treated with the utmost respect and reverence for their life experiences and talents and God consistently rewarded them for their faith and constancy. Consider how many people, how many stories, there are that celebrate the gift of being an elder.  Abraham and Sarah having a son in their old age!  Elizabeth experiencing the gift of John the Baptist!  Noah and the Ark!  Moses!  Job and Joseph!  Joshua and Daniel and Isaiah!

And just in the last 2 days our Gospel readings share the stories of Simeon and Anna! Yesterday we focused on the prophet Simeon; today we turn to the prophetess Anna as we conclude the story of the Presentation in the Temple.  Anna is completely alone in the world.  She is a widow and elderly.  There is no one looking out for her welfare, no one to help out, and no support system at all to see to her needs.  She is probably homeless as well since she spends night and day in the Temple area. 

You would think she would be miserable and despondent over her circumstances.  And yet the opposite is true.  For fifty years she has dedicated herself to the Lord; she spends her time in prayer and fasting.  And when she does encounter the Holy Family, she breaks out in praise and thanksgiving for having seen the Savior.  And she announces the news to all she meets. She is the definition of ‘devotion.’  She has given her life in service to the Lord, willingly and gladly! She spends her life praying and fasting with no hint of regret or bitterness at what life has thrown at her.

Our St. Kateri native community also gets it right, respecting our elders and all they have endured and sacrificed.  At every meal we share, our elders are served first.  There is no standing in line to fill their plates.  They have earned the right to be served after decades of serving others.

Life has certainly thrown a lot of curveballs at us these past 20 months or so. at times probably more than we can handle.  While so much has been taken away from us, we have been given one precious gift – TIME!  How have we spent it?  In prayer and perhaps fasting, like Anna and Simeon?  Are we spending our time regretting all we have lost and not appreciating what we have?  Has our prayer life diminished or prospered? Have we taken the time to care for and attend to our own elders?   Have we reached out to our older relatives to check up on them, to see to their needs, to just take the time to share stories and memories?  What are we waiting for?

Great Spirit, help me to learn and practice these important virtues: Trust, Honor and Respect. Put an elder in my life to guide me by their words and example.

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