Maturing in faith through time

December 30, 2025 – Tuesday, 6^th Day in the Octave of Christmas

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123025.cfm)

As the days of Christmas pass, the noise slowly fades. The lights remain, but the excitement becomes quieter as most of you might have observed. Yet, it invites us to notice something important that Christmas is not meant to rush us, but to deepen us.

The Church, on this 6th Day of the Octave of Christmas, gently reminds us to slow down. We should ask ourselves what kind of people we are becoming. This reflection calls for our growth not only in age, but in faith, wisdom, and love. As Christ was born for us, Christmas calls us now how our hearts should be formed over time to recognize what truly lasts.

This is why the Gospel today brings us to Anna, the prophetess, a woman whose life had been quietly shaped by years of faithfulness. She did not rush through life, and she did not allow loss or loneliness to harden her heart. Her many years in the temple were not empty waiting but faithful presence before God. And so, when the child Jesus was brought to the temple, Anna immediately recognized Him. While others may have seen only an ordinary child, she saw hope being fulfilled. Her long journey of trust had trained her heart to see what truly mattered.

Anna showed us that faith deepens when we stay rooted, grounded. She waited long, but her waiting did not turn into bitterness. Her years did not make her cynical. Instead, they sharpened her vision and her spirit more attuned to God’s coming presence. Thus, she could see hope because she had learned how to trust God through many seasons of loss and silence.

Moreover, the first reading from the First Letter of John speaks to different stages of life. John addresses children, young people, and fathers. He recognizes that faith looks different at each stage of our life. Children know forgiveness. Young people are strong and have overcome evil. Elders know God deeply because they have walked with Him for a long time.

However, John also gives us a serious warning. He said, “Do not love the world or the things of the world.” He is not saying that the world is bad. John, rather, reminds us not to build our lives on what does not last such as power, pleasure, possessions, and pride. Though these things promise satisfaction, but they fade quickly and leave hearts empty.

Hence, this message is very relevant today. We live in a time when many are pressured to prove their worth through success, appearance, or status. Even during Christmas, many could have felt that pressure to have the best food, the nicest gifts, or the happiest photos we can post of our social media platforms. Yet Anna’s life quietly tells us another truth that certainly, a meaningful life is not measured by what we accumulate or show of to others, but by who we become.

Hence, true maturity in faith is learning to long and desire what lasts. Anna desired God above all else. That is why, when salvation stood before her, she recognized it.

For us today, this is an invitation to examine our hearts. We ask ourselves. What are we holding on to? What consumes our energy and attention? Are we forming our children only to succeed, or also to love and serve? Are we using our strength as young adults only for ourselves, or also for what is good and just? Are we allowing our elders to be teachers of wisdom, or have we forgotten to listen to them?

Remember, Anna did not keep the good news to herself. She spoke about the child to others. Faith that matures always becomes generous. It shares hope.

As Christmas continues, we are reminded that Christ is still growing among us. And like Anna, we are called not only to see Him, but to point Him out to others through our lives shaped by patience, simplicity, and trust.

May this Christmas season teach us not just to celebrate, but to mature in love, so that when Christ passes by our lives, we will recognize Him and rejoice. Hinaut pa.