1 Samuel 1: 24-28; Luke 1: 46-56
Hannah takes Samuel to the Temple; Hannah dedicated Samuel to God.
Samuel’s birth bears a similarity to Jesus’ birth. He too was born of a mother whose situation was such that people thought she couldn’t bear children. But Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had great faith in God. She prayed that God would give her a son, and God heard her prayer. Samuel grew up to give Israel leadership at a time when she needed it most.
He served as a “bridge man” between the Era of the Judges and the Era of the Kings. Two books of the Bible bear his name. Samuel anointed Israel’s first king. From that line of kings came Jesus, the King of Kings.****
Today is a celebration
of thanks to the Lord, who does great things to humble people who trust in God.
In the Old Testament, Hannah thanks God because he has given her a son. She
dedicates him to God. Samuel will be a very great prophet of the Lord. And
Mary, a young, humble, unassuming girl boldly sings out her joy and thanks to
God who will upset the world’s values through Jesus, the Son to be born from
her. With Hannah and Mary, we sing out our joy and thanks to God.
*****
How
great is our trust in God? “Trust in
the Lord. Have
faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14
*****
It is said that the first six years of a child's life are the most important years, and indeed it is true. Because those six years are the formative years, a time during which the child learns and absorbs the values, the principles and the way of life that will shape his/her future. And the child learns this, usually, from the parents.
Jesus is the Son of God, yet during His childhood years, He certainly learned from His parents. From St. Joseph, He not only learned the carpenter's trade, He also learned to be a man of honour and respect, and also how to discern God's will.
From Mary His mother, He learned humility and to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. He learned that God will exalt the humble and the lowly. He learned that the poor are the ones who will inherit the Kingdom of God. He learned that those who hunger for justice will be filled with good things.
He learned what Mary proclaimed in the Magnificat. What He learned from His parents, He will later proclaim in the Beatitudes.
As we draw nearer to Christmas, we
draw nearer to a new beginning, a new beginning with Jesus. We are led to the
manger, and we will learn about the way, the truth and the life.
As we move on from the
manger, the way of love and the truth of God must also form the values and the
principles of our lives.
****
Opening Prayer: God of the little ones, with Mary, we
rejoice and give you thanks that you let Jesus Christ become one of us and let
him bring us the dignity of your sons and daughters. May we live up to that
dignity and to the joy that says that we are deeply loved by you. Like you, may
we also learn to care for all that is little and fragile and bring your justice
to the poor through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
