Monday, December 21, 2009

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent


Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Readings for December 22[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:
[3]

Reading 1 1 Samuel 1:24-28

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 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.”[4]

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Gospel Luke 1:46-56

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 about three months
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 of her arrival from Nazareth. The older woman, herself a vessel of new life, has echoed the words of the Archangel Gabriel who pronounced her “full of grace”. St. Elizabeth praised her for her complete obedience to God’s invitation to accept the gift and responsibility of the Incarnate Word, now growing in her womb.

St. Mary’s response 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 him 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. Hers is an example 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 St. Mary’s; that in her perfect obedience and joy in the Lord we may also find hope for ourselves.

Pax

[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Visitation” by Ubaldo Gandolfi, c. 1767
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1

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