I stood praying to the Lord, and the Lord granted my request.
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."
Hannah left Samuel there;
and as she worshiped the Lord, she said:
"My heart exults in the Lord,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the Lord;
there is no Rock like our God.
"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.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the netherworld;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
to seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
He gives to vowers their vows,
and blesses the sleep of the just.
"For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
and he has set the world upon them."
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Commentary on 1 Sm 1:24-28; 2:1-2,4-8
The selection continues with a hymn of praise to God. “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.”[1]
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 (1 Samuel 1:9ff). Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and leaves him to be trained in the faith. Hannah leaves the young Samuel at Shiloh. Shiloh at that time was a sanctuary for the people of Israel and a tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 18:1; 22:9). It was served by priests and was central to Jewish worship prior to the building of the Temple at Jerusalem.
The selection continues with a hymn of praise to God. “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.”[1]
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
"For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
"He has mercy on those who fear him
"He has come to the help of his servant Israel
The responsorial is 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 service, she offers herself to God as vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55
R. (see 48a) The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
"For he has looked with favor on 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."
R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
"He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty."
R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
"He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."
R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
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Commentary on Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55
The responsorial is 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 service, she offers herself to God as vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422
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GOSPEL
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
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Commentary on Lk 1:26-38
This passage, from St. Luke’s Gospel, is the story of Mary being informed by the archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of bearing the Savior of the world. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor, although with very human fear, indicating that her free will is at play. This response makes her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that, with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and name him Jesus (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title “Virgin” as she questions Gabriel saying: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Even though she does not understand, Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her. She then utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
This announcement parallels Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), also delivered by the archangel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God, thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament.
CCC: Lk 1:26-38 497, 706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488; Lk 1:26 332; Lk 1:28-37 494; Lk 1:28 490, 491; Lk 1:31 430, 2812; Lk 1:32-33 709; Lk 1:32 559; Lk 1:34 484, 497, 505; Lk 1:35 437, 484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494; Lk 1:37 148, 269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64, 148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856
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Reflection:
As
modern Christians, we constantly challenged to become disciples of Jesus in a
society where the teachings of our Lord, those teachings we pledge to study and
live by, are increasingly unpopular, and in some cases are becoming
questionably legal. Looking at our
Blessed Mother, Mary, we see that, by taking on the role of “handmaid of the Lord,” she expressed her
total submission to the will of God. Not
only submission, but a handmaid was expected to completely know the mind of the
one she served so she could anticipate her master’s needs and desires.
By expressing her submission to God’s will in all things, she shows us the next step, beyond discipleship. As we see in Sacred Scripture, the disciples frequently disagreed with the Lord; they didn’t understand and in some cases argued with Jesus. It is a good example of the student-teacher relationship. Mary not only accepts the Lord’s will without question, she has demonstrated perfect humility, offering herself as “lowly servant,” and loyal member of God’s closest household.
In her example, the Blessed Virgin asks us to follow her example, to submit to God’s will without questioning, with complete faith. Oh, what a difficult thing she asks of us in that perfect example of faith. She has denied her human nature, becoming the mind of God in her desire to anticipate his will and please him. When we feel we have achieved some level of understanding of what God calls us to, all we need do is look at the handmaid of the Lord to see the distance we have yet to travel so we may stand in company with all the saints in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Pax
[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1
Reflection:
 |
| The Assumption of the Virgin by Charles Le Brun |
By expressing her submission to God’s will in all things, she shows us the next step, beyond discipleship. As we see in Sacred Scripture, the disciples frequently disagreed with the Lord; they didn’t understand and in some cases argued with Jesus. It is a good example of the student-teacher relationship. Mary not only accepts the Lord’s will without question, she has demonstrated perfect humility, offering herself as “lowly servant,” and loyal member of God’s closest household.
In her example, the Blessed Virgin asks us to follow her example, to submit to God’s will without questioning, with complete faith. Oh, what a difficult thing she asks of us in that perfect example of faith. She has denied her human nature, becoming the mind of God in her desire to anticipate his will and please him. When we feel we have achieved some level of understanding of what God calls us to, all we need do is look at the handmaid of the Lord to see the distance we have yet to travel so we may stand in company with all the saints in the Heavenly Kingdom.
Pax
[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1
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