Readings for Saturday of the Third Week of Advent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Samuel 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 be allowed to bear a son for God. Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and leaves him to be trained in the faith.
Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
The words of the footnote in the NAB say what we feel here; “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 Sam 2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Sam 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Sam 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Sam 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with our Lady's Magnificat.”
Gospel Luke 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 of the service she offers to God as vessel of the Messiah she sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
Reflection:
Each day when we do Evening Prayer we recite the words of the Magnificat. Over the years these words have become my words of prayer. I use them much more often than simply in evening prayer. I use them when I exercise, I use them when I am driving, I use them as I pray before the Blessed Sacrament. They say something that is in my heart and I have long ago let that emotion flow over me instead of simply thinking of the words.
Today, in the context of the coming of the Nativity of the Lord, her son, we give them back to her. She speaks out of a profound love of God and humility about her own role in his divine plan. (“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.”)
Mary proclaims her understanding of God’s role in salvation and how He saves and lifts up the meek and lowly, how he levels the playing field based on faith. (“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.”)
Finally, she demonstrates her own acceptance and understanding that what she is doing fulfills God’s promise, the prediction made time and again in Holy Scripture. (“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.”)
Even though Mary did not ask to serve God in this way, even though what He called her to do as part of his saving plan was difficult and dangerous for her, personally, she accepts the mantle and praises God for his great gift. In these, the final days of Advent, can we do less than echo her words of praise and thanksgiving to the one, who through the gift of His Only Son, sets us upon the path of salvation? There are just 3 days left.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Madonna della Misericordia” by Fra Bartolomeo, 1515
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Samuel 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 be allowed to bear a son for God. Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and leaves him to be trained in the faith.
Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
The words of the footnote in the NAB say what we feel here; “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 Sam 2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Sam 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Sam 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Sam 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with our Lady's Magnificat.”
Gospel Luke 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 of the service she offers to God as vessel of the Messiah she sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
Reflection:
Each day when we do Evening Prayer we recite the words of the Magnificat. Over the years these words have become my words of prayer. I use them much more often than simply in evening prayer. I use them when I exercise, I use them when I am driving, I use them as I pray before the Blessed Sacrament. They say something that is in my heart and I have long ago let that emotion flow over me instead of simply thinking of the words.
Today, in the context of the coming of the Nativity of the Lord, her son, we give them back to her. She speaks out of a profound love of God and humility about her own role in his divine plan. (“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.”)
Mary proclaims her understanding of God’s role in salvation and how He saves and lifts up the meek and lowly, how he levels the playing field based on faith. (“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.”)
Finally, she demonstrates her own acceptance and understanding that what she is doing fulfills God’s promise, the prediction made time and again in Holy Scripture. (“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.”)
Even though Mary did not ask to serve God in this way, even though what He called her to do as part of his saving plan was difficult and dangerous for her, personally, she accepts the mantle and praises God for his great gift. In these, the final days of Advent, can we do less than echo her words of praise and thanksgiving to the one, who through the gift of His Only Son, sets us upon the path of salvation? There are just 3 days left.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Madonna della Misericordia” by Fra Bartolomeo, 1515
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