Can you imagine being given the greatest gift of a child from God, our Heavenly Father, and then completely surrendering him to the will and word of God? Both Samuel’s mother and our blessed mother did so without hesitation. We hear that beautiful, magnificat prayer praising the attributes of God for His patience, His mercy, His justice and more.
As we draw closer to Christmas, let us worship and praise the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Let us do so in the way our blessed Mary has. Let us emulate her love for the Lord. 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.
CatholicJules.net 