Grace and Space

Lk 2:36-40
36There was also 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, 37and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. 38And 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. 
39When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Reflection
The child grew and became strong: The gospel passage tells us of two contrasting fates: that of Anna and that of Jesus. Anna is a temple prophetess and a widow. Ever since her husband died, she has become an object of mercy and compassion like all widows in an ancient patriarchal society. But she also represents the anawim, the faithful law-observant remnant of the chosen people who totally conform to God’s will and are expectant of his promised kingdom. In preparation for it she spends her life in prayer and fasting. She is also governed by God’s Spirit and guided by him in recognizing the Messiah in the person of a baby.
On the other hand, we have the baby Jesus taking his time to grow up like the rest of us. He could have come to us already in the form of an adult human, but he chooses to be born and go through the slow process of growing into maturity. He shares the human experience of pain, hardships, simple joys, and warmth of affection. All that Anna has experienced in life Jesus also experiences in his own unique way. Like her, his focus is also God, but since he is the unique Son, his experience of his Father in our human condition is totally his, in the same way that nobody can take from us our uniquely personal experience of life with God and his people.
Therefore, our gospel passage has God in his temple as the center, presenting Anna as the faithful continuity of the best of the ancient tradition of Israel which is slowly fading away in order to give way to the new realities, and introducing Jesus as the best of the new realities that God is giving to his new people. The old is slowly passing away. Now, behold, God is presenting to us the things of the New Testament!