The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the response of praise to the surrender of Hannah and Mary to the will of God that resonates with reversal of fortune on our path.
In the reading from the First Book of Samuel, Hannah presents Samuel to the Lord.
* [1:24] Ephah: see note on Is 5:10. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
The response from 1 Samuel Chapter 2 is Hannah’s Prayer
* [2:1–10] Hannah appeals to a God who maintains order by keeping human affairs in balance, reversing the fortunes of the arrogant, who, like Peninnah, boast of their good fortune (vv. 1, 3, 9) at the expense of those like Hannah who receive less from the Lord. Hannah’s admission places her among the faithful who trust that God will execute justice on their behalf. The reference “his king ... his anointed” (v. 10) recalls the final sentence of the Book of Judges and introduces the kingship theme that dominates the Books of Samuel. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke presents the Magnificat, Mary’s song of Praise.
* [1:46–55] Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v. 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God’s favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that the visitation makes both Mary and Elizabeth so relatable.
They’re like the women I know who get through life by sharing with and supporting each other.
I’m fascinated by Elizabeth, the wise older cousin who was perhaps the only person Mary knew that could understand what was going on. “The Magnificat” is so lovely and poetic that it’s easy to forget that it is also a risky statement of Mary’s special relationship with God. She could only have spoken this way to someone who would not think she was delusional.
This story also reminds us that God made us social creatures who relate to him through our relationships with people. A Mary who hid in a cave instead of explaining what was happening would not have been venerated for centuries as a universal mother.
Like Mary and Elizabeth, we need to accompany people in times of joy and sorrow and to allow others to accompany us. (Wirth, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “Mary preaches the new kingdom,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD).
"[Mary] revealed to Elizabeth what the angel spoke to her in secret, and that he called her blessed because she believed in the realization of the prophecy and the teaching that she heard (Luke 146-55). Then Mary gently brought forth the fruit of what she heard from the angel and Elizabeth: 'My soul bless the Lord.' Elizabeth had said, 'Blessed is she who has believed,' and Mary replied, 'From henceforth all generations will call me blessed.' It was then that Mary began to preach the new kingdom. 'She returned home after three months,' so that the Lord whom she was carrying would not begin service before his servant. She returned to her husband to clarify the matter, for if she had become pregnant through human fruit, it would have been appropriate for her to flee from her husband." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 1.28) (Schwager, 2019)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:24-28 asks was Hannah tempted to hang on to her son Samuel? We don’t know for sure. But we see that she ultimately did leave him at the temple. Which tells us that Hannah was willing to entrust his future—and hers—to the Lord. And once she did, she felt free enough to lift her voice in praise to God (1 Samuel 2:1-10). And Samuel? He became a mighty prophet and leader in Israel.
Hannah is an example to us all. We can trust God’s plan for the gifts he gives us. So rejoice in the graces God has freely bestowed on you. Enjoy his gifts! But don’t hold onto them too tightly.
“Thank you, Lord, for all your gifts to me. Show me the times when I need to loosen my grip on them.” (Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:24-28, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Samuel was one of the last judges of Israel, as a child dedicated by Hannah to the Lord. Mary, the Queen of the anawim, resonates with the setting of the Magnificat, as a poor woman, with a low income station, from a desolate village who travels to help her cousin. Friar Jude reminds us of the geographical significance of Elizabeth living in Ein Karem, near Abu Ghosh, and Mary, the New Ark of the Covenant, staying there for three months.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that in Matthew 25, Jesus identifies himself as incarnate always through people in need. Catholic Worker co-founder Dorothy Day (1897–1980) expands on this gospel message. Day offers examples of those who ministered to the Christ child and how we can too:
In Christ’s human life, there were always a few who made up for the neglect of the crowd. The shepherds did it; their hurrying to the crib atoned for the people who would flee from Christ. The wise men did it; their journey across the world made up for those who refused to stir one hand’s breadth from the routine of their lives to go to Christ. Even the gifts the wise men brought have in themselves an obscure recompense and atonement for what would follow later in this Child’s life. For they brought gold, the king’s emblem, to make up for the crown of thorns that He would wear; they offered incense, the symbol of praise, to make up for the mockery and the spitting; they gave Him myrrh, to heal and soothe, and He was wounded from head to foot….
We can do it too, exactly as they did. We are not born too late. We do it by seeing Christ and serving Christ in friends and strangers, in everyone we come in contact with…. For a total Christian, the goad of duty is not needed … to perform this or that good deed. It is not a duty to help Christ, it is a privilege. (Rohr, 2023)
We are blessed with family, friends, and people in our environment that activate our good angel and move us to action and praise in Jesus Way.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?46
Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:24-28. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/22/854073/
1 Samuel, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/1?24
1 Samuel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/2?1
Rohr, R. (2023, December 22). Room for Christ — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC Daily Meditations 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/room-for-christ/
Schwager, D. (2019, June 24). Joyful Expectation of the Messiah. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec22
Wirth, E. (2023, December 22). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122223.html
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