Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Luke (2: 36-40) in which Anna, an old widow of great faith, gives thanks and praise to God when she meets Jesus in the temple. Fr Paul says today we hear of Anna the prophetess. She can sometimes be forgotten in the longer accounts of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, so it is right that she should have today’s Gospel all to herself. Fr Paul says this because every parish church that is alive has its Annas in it, who without necessarily holding any official title keep the whole thing going; and who, above all, even if invisibly, give it life by their prayers. Today for our reflection Fr Paul says we might think of Anna and ask ourselves, ‘How can I serve God in my life like her?’.