In reading the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, three themes stood out to me, namely, joy, openness to the Holy Spirit, and prayer.  

First, when an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, the angel said, “I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).  Our joy comes from the presence of Christ.  Even amid great difficulties and sufferings, we can rejoice because the Lord is with us.  We will have hardships in this world (John 16:33), but Jesus promises, “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Matthew 28:20).  

The Lord shares his joy with us “to the full” (John 17:13), a joy that no one can take away (John 16:22).  Therefore, we also must share our joy with others.  As Mother Teresa said, do not let anything so fill you with sorrow that you forget the joy of Christ risen.  “Do not abandon yourself to sorrow . . . joy is what gives length of days” (Sirach 30:21-22).  Mother Teresa described joy as “a net of love by which you can catch souls.”  The kingdom of God is made of the joy brought by the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).   

Second, Simeon is a wonderful example of openness to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would “not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord,” and “prompted by the Spirit,” Simeon went to the Temple, took Jesus into his arms, and blessed God (Luke 2:26-28).  It is very important that we, too, remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  All those who are guided by the Spirit of God are children of God (Romans 8:14), and we must not stifle the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

As we are continuing our journey through Advent, and perhaps seeing many external Christmas decorations around us, I recently heard about the beautiful concept of “spiritual decorations.”  Spiritual decorations could include a prayer for someone, a penance, an act of kindness, being quick to listen and slow to speak even when our feelings are hurt, resisting the temptation to complain, or many other acts of love and goodness.  Let us pray for the grace to be open and attentive to how the Holy Spirit is prompting us to “decorate” in this way.

Third, Anna was an 84-year-old widow who never left the Temple, “serving God night and day with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37).  The Lord wants us to bring everything to him in prayer (Philippians 4:6).  “Unload all your burden on to him, since he is concerned about you” (1 Peter 5:7).  In the words of St. Pope John Paul II, prayer moves the heart of God.  

I think that prayer is one of the most meaningful gifts we can give one another this season.  Jesus promises, “anything you ask from the Father he will grant in my name . . . Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete” (John 16:23-24).  As St. Isidore said, “no time is ever lost by prayer, for those who pray are workers together with God.”  May the Lord grant us the grace, like Anna, to remain steadfast in prayer, trusting in his loving provision for us.