Call in the New TestamentThe Beginning of a Call
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Called Before BirthLuke 2:34-38 The Message33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them and said to Mary, his mother, This child marks both the failure and
the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
the pain of a sword-thrust through you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
as God reveals who they really are. 36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was, by now, a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. For ReflectionBut "that crazy old woman..." Simon reveals the judgment of failure and the hope of rebirth in the birth of Mary's child. He addresses the pain Mary will suffer not only at birth but also in her child's life. The suffering she and her child will endure will open the eyes of all who can see the divine intervention that will save humankind.
But for the spontaneous otherworldly outbreak of that "crazy old woman," we may have dismissed the prophetic truth. PrayPray, so you will more fully understand the profound meaning of suffering loss followed by the restitution of hope. Forward to a friend | 
