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| “Nativity” by Lorenzo Lotto, 1523 |
December 22 in Advent
(Saturday of the Third Week of Advent)
In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with
her,
along with a three-year-old
bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin
of wine,
and presented him at the
temple of the LORD in Shiloh .
After the boy’s father had
sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother,
approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near
you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and
the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to
the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall
be dedicated to the LORD.”
She left Samuel there.
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Commentary on 1 Sm 1:24-28
In this passage from First Samuel we see Samuel’s mother, Hannah,
dedicating the boy to God. The reference she made to Eli; “I am the woman who
stood near you here, praying to the Lord” refers to her prayer that she would be
allowed to bear a son for God. Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and
leaves him to be trained in the faith.
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Responsorial Psalm: 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my
enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The bows of the mighty are
broken,
while the tottering gird on
strength.
The well-fed hire themselves
out for bread,
while the hungry batten on
spoil.
The barren wife bears seven
sons,
while the mother of many
languishes.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“The LORD puts to death and
gives life;
he casts down to the nether
world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes
rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
“He raises the needy from the
dust;
from the dung heap he lifts
up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne
their heritage.”
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
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Commentary on 1 Sm 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
“A hymn attributed to Hannah, the
mother of Samuel, as her thanksgiving to God because she has borne a son
despite her previous sterility. She praises God as the helper of the weak (1 Samuel
2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the
lowly (1 Samuel
2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Samuel
2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Samuel
2:10).
This canticle has several points of resemblance with our Lady's Magnificat.”[4]
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And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my
savior.
for he has looked upon his
lowly servant.
From this day all generations
will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great
things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who
fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of
his arm,
and has scattered the proud
in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty
from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with
good things,
and the rich he has sent away
empty.
He has come to the help of
his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise
of mercy,
the promise he made to our
fathers,
to Abraham and his children
for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth
and then returned to her
home.
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Commentary on Lk 1:46-56
Following the parody from 1st Samuel, we are given the Magnificat,
the beautiful Canticle of Mary. Her song of thanksgiving and humility captures
the saintliness that has become synonymous with our image of Mary the Mother of
God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. In her dedication to God’s service she offers
herself to Him, as vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble
birth of Jesus.
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Reflection:
As Christians one of the most
important tasks we undertake is to try to conform ourselves to the will and
example of Christ. We see him in terms
of absolutes; he is the absolute pinnacle of love, love itself as scripture
says. He is absolutely obedient to the
will of the Father in all things. His
spirit is the Holy Spirit completely free from any blemish of sin. In short, he is perfection itself.
If one were to see his
essence in stark relief against our own lives we would despair at ever coming
close to his example. How could we even
begin such a journey? We therefore thank
our God for providing us with examples we can see that remind us that ordinary
human beings have approached that perfection to varying degrees. Our chief sources of these examples are the
Saints. Their lives, venerated by the
Church, give us hope that we too can approach holiness. Their words stand like sign posts pointing
the way to spiritual betterment.
Sometimes miraculously and always heroically they accept the invitation
of the Lord to walk in his footsteps.
First and foremost among
these Saints is Mary the Virgin Mother of God whose song is proclaimed to the
whole Church on this day. In St. Mary’s
song she is responding to her Cousin Elizabeth’s abject humility and praise at
her arrival from Nazareth. The older
woman, herself a vessel of new life, has echoed the words of the Archangel
Gabriel in who pronounced her “full of grace”. She praised Mary
for her complete obedience to God’s invitation to accept the gift and
responsibility of the Incarnate Word, now growing in her womb.
The Blessed Virgin’s answer
to this praise is one of those seminal moments in the history of God’s
revelation where we see the soul to which our souls aspire. Her opening words describe the perfect
balance of calm assurance and perfect humility.
Mother Mary can be completely subordinate to God while assuming, without
self-pride, the role she now fulfills.
After she identifies herself as God’s servant she goes on to praise God;
recognizing all that he has done – magnifying his greatness – allowing her
passion for God to swell in words that can barely grasp all the Father has
done.
We hear and pray those words
ourselves and seek to use her example to mold our own response to God, in grace
and humility as she did. The Blessed
Mother’s example is one to which we can relate completely. Especially as the great Feast of the Nativity
draws ever closer we pray that our response to God’s call may come closer to
Saint Mary’s; that in her perfect obedience and joy in the Lord we may also
find hope for ourselves.
Pax
[2]
The picture used today is “Nativity” by Lorenzo Lotto, 1523
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1
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