Gratitude Where Due

Dec. 22: Friday of the Third Week of Advent

For the last few days, we’ve been reading through Luke, despite being in the Lectionary Year B, which draws on Mark, because, well, Mark doesn’t have a nativity story. Mark begins with John the Baptist’s ministry, while Luke tells us about Gabriel announcing both Elizabeth and Mary’s pregnancies.

Reading 1

1 Sm 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.

Hannah had been barren (which seems to be a running theme in the daily readings leading up to Christmas), and prayed desperately for a child. She even promised¹ that he would be a Nazarite, someone who took a vow to refrain from drinking and cutting their hair,² in order to remain holy and set apart for God. Many Nazarites became prophets.³

Now Hannah has given birth, and she returns to the Temple to fulfill her promise—to offer the child God gave her back to God Himself. Because we can never really give God anything; we can only give back what He has given us, like a child at Christmas borrowing money from their parents to buy a gift to give back to them.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R. 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.

Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, had two wives. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.⁴ Although Hannah was good and faithful, Peninnah would torment and mock her for being barren. Instead of being grateful to the Lord, Peninnah held it over her rival’s head.⁵

Hannah, on the other hand, is thankful for one child, and sees it as a sign of God’s greatness, not her own.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The keystone is what holds an arch together; without it, the whole thing collapses.

Gospel

Lk 1:46-56

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.

This immediately follows yesterday’s reading, where Elizabeth praises Mary. Mary does a little prayer jujitsu, and redirects the prayer to God.

Mary is of course ecstatic about having a child, and happy for her cousin, too. But she knows they didn’t cause these miracle babies to come. God did, and so she gives Him thanks and praise.

1. 1 Sm 1:11

2. Both Samson and John the Baptist were Nazarites.

3. Nm 6:2-21

4. 1 Sm 1:2

5. The author calls Peninnah a sara (1 Sm 1:6), meaning “rival,” which in the Talmud was a technical term for a second or co-wife.