We hear from the first letter of St John today. There is much great advice and consolation in this letter, and it is best read as if it were a personal letter addressed to you individually. Take the advice, and let John bless you with his words.
The authorship of the letters of John is not fully clear, but since the letters seem to be addressed to established christian communities, who are not currently being persecuted, then they are likely to have been written in the 2nd Century AD.
The Gospel today, from Luke, tells us about Anna, a prophetess, and her biography. She is mentioned in the other gospel accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus, but ir is here, in Luke's Gospel, as with so many of the biblical women, that she seems to come to life as a real person. You probably know of an Anna or two of your own - people who quietly work away building up the church community without asking for explicit recognition. Thank God for them today, and if you get a chance, thank an 'Anna' that you know for their work.