There was a movie a few years (decades!) ago called The Producers. It was eventually staged as a Broadway musical. In one song the producer sings about how he is going to exploit, use, bilk, steal from “little old ladies.” St. Luke in his gospel has a more elevated opinion of little old ladies. He thinks they can do great things. There was a prophetess, Anna, she was eighty-four … and 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. Anna is the first to proclaim the good news of Jesus far and wide. When St. John in his epistle lists his addressees — “children, fathers, young men” — he neglects to mention the little old ladies. Or perhaps he knows he doesn’t need to mention them since they are already the ones who are faithful, the ones he can rely on as the foundation of a healthy Christian community. If that was the case then it is certainly the case now. The little old ladies are the ones who devote themselves to serving the Church and helping their neighbors. When someone is sick, the little old ladies are the ones who bring chicken soup to help with the recovery. When volunteers are needed for a committee you can count on the little old ladies to be first in line. Our society tends to overlook little old ladies. Luke’s society did too. He went out of his way to highlight Anna, the prophetess, so that we would understand that thsoe who are deemed of little value in the world are of infinite value in the kingdom of God.
