Dec 30 The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

 Dec 30 The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html 

Gospel in Art: There was a prophetess, Anna https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/54022 

Reading of the day

A reading from the First Letter of John

2:12-17

I am writing to you, children,

because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake.

I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,

because you have conquered the Evil One.

I write to you, children,

because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers,

because you know him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,

and you have conquered the Evil One.

Do not love the world or the things of the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world,

sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,

is not from the Father but is from the world.

Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.

But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Gospel of the day

From the Gospel according to Luke

2:36-40

There was a prophetess, Anna,

the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

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.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions

of the law of the Lord,

they returned to Galilee,

to their own town of Nazareth.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;

and the favor of God was upon him.

The words of the Popes

The narrative recounts that when Mary and Joseph “had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew” — the Gospel says — “and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him” (vv. 39-40). Children’s growth is a great joy for the family, we all know it. They are destined to grow and become strong, to acquire knowledge and receive the grace of God, just as happened to Jesus. He is truly one of us: the Son of God becomes a child, agrees to grow, to become strong; he is filled with knowledge, and the grace of God is upon him. Mary and Joseph have the joy of seeing all this in their son; and this is the mission to which the family is directed: to create conditions favourable to the harmonious and full growth of its children, so they may live a good life, worthy of God and constructive for the world. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 31 December 2017)