When we look back into our very own lives to see how the Lord our God had touched it with His great mercy and love, then we can fully relate to Hannah in today’s reading. How she is able to fully entrust her 3 year old to the service of God our Heavenly Father.
Hannah had lived her life bitterly in despair and desolation unable to see any semblance of God’s grace even though His grace was clearly present. In her desperation she cried and poured everything out to Him and promised to offer her child up should her prayer be answered. And for her the ‘impossible’ happened she conceived and bore Samuel. In loving obedience (http://bit.ly/4sunad) she gave her child over to the Lord our God. No longer was there any hint of despair for she knew with all her heart and had witnessed the power, glory and love of God in her own life. She could sing His praises for her heart exults in Him! (1 Samuel 2:1)
We do not hear of any prior bitterness in Mary our Mother’s life neither do we ever hear, her despair. For the Lord was always with her. And no matter how difficult or how hard her life must have been, she glorified the Lord our God by accepting the hardships in grace. Her love for God was not only on her lips but in her heart and in everything she did.
O Blessed mother, pray for us that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen
First reading 1 Samuel 1:24-28
This is the child I prayed for: he is made over to the Lord.
When Hannah had weaned the infant Samuel, she took him up with her together with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’
There she left him, for the Lord.
Gospel Luke 1:46-56
The Almighty has done great things for me
Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
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