Daily Catholic Lectio
Tue, 30 December ‘25
Christmas Octave – Sixth Day
1 John 2:12–17. Luke 2:36–40
Mercy of God
During the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Luke introduces us to two elderly figures: Simeon and Anna. Yesterday, we saw Simeon—an old man—taking the child Jesus into his arms. Today, we meet Anna—an old woman—who does something equally important: she speaks about the child to everyone who is waiting for redemption.
Together, Simeon and Anna show us two movements of faith: receiving and proclaiming. Simeon holds the mercy of God in his arms. Anna announces the mercy of God with her voice.
Anna: a life shaped by mercy
Luke gives us several details about Anna, each one meaningful. She belongs to the tribe of Asher—a tribe traditionally associated with abundance and blessing. Yet her personal life is marked by loss. She was married for only seven years and then became a widow. Now she is eighty-four years old—a number that symbolises fullness upon fullness.
Her life takes an unexpected turn. What began as a shared married life becomes a long journey of solitude in the Temple. Yet Anna does not become bitter. She does not withdraw into herself. Instead, she remains rooted in prayer, fasting, and hope. Though her circumstances change, her inner direction remains steady.
This is already a first sign of mercy: not a life without suffering, but a life that is not destroyed by suffering.
“Daughter of Phanuel”: mercy has a face
Luke calls her “Anna, the daughter of Phanuel.” The name Phanuel means “the face of God.” In the Scriptures, to see the face of God is to encounter God’s mercy. Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face.” Later he tells Esau, “Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God.”
So, when Luke names Anna as “daughter of Phanuel,” he is quietly telling us something profound: Anna is a woman shaped by the experience of God’s merciful face.
And this is the heart of today’s feast. In the Incarnation—above all at Christmas—we see the face of God. And that face is mercy. Jesus is not simply a teacher of mercy; he is mercy made visible. Those who truly encounter this mercy are changed. Anna has been changed.
From loss to proclamation
Anna’s life could easily have closed in on itself. Widowhood, old age, loneliness—these often push people into silence and isolation. But Anna does the opposite. The moment she sees the child, she begins to speak about him to everyone who is waiting for redemption. Mercy opens doors. Pain closes them.
Anna does not keep her joy private. She does not say, “This is only for me.” Mercy always moves outward. Those who have truly tasted God’s mercy cannot stop speaking about it.
This is why age, gender, and social status do not limit Anna. She becomes one of the first evangelisers of Christ.
Mercy and the First Reading
In the First Letter of John, we are reminded that those who truly know God do not cling to the world, its desires, or its passing attractions. God’s mercy reorders our loves. It frees us from bitterness, possessiveness, and resentment.
Anna embodies this freedom. She is not attached to what she lost. She is anchored in what she has found: God’s faithful mercy.
What Anna teaches us today
Anna teaches us three quiet but powerful lessons: First, mercy gives meaning to suffering. Her losses do not disappear, but they are transformed. When suffering is held before God, it does not harden the heart; it deepens it. Second, mercy opens us to others. Anna does not turn inward. She turns outward. She speaks. She blesses. She shares hope. When we close ourselves in grief, sorrow grows. When we open ourselves in mercy, life becomes wider. Third, we can give only what we carry within. Anna speaks good because she carries good. She announces hope because she lives in hope. We give to others only what we ourselves possess.
Conclusion
In Anna, we see that the mercy of God is not an abstract idea. It is a lived experience. It has a face. It has a voice. It has perseverance.
This Christmas season invites us to the same journey: to encounter the face of God in Christ,
to allow that mercy to heal our losses, and to speak of hope to a world that is waiting.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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