December 22, Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 1:46-56
Already on the 22nd of December, there is a mood of rejoicing and exultation created in the liturgy of the Word of God although the contexts in the readings are different. Hannah, the mother of Samuel rejoices and expresses her gratitude to God for blessing her with Samuel after having suffered the ignominy of being barren and despised by the society. She offers Samuel to God. She acknowledges before God and Eli, the priest that God saw her tears graciously and heard her prayer gracefully. By doing so, Hanna and Elkanah fulfilled the Word of God in Exodus 13:2, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine”.
The Responsorial Psalm from the 2nd chapter of the First Book of Samuel is the prayer of Hannah the mother of Samuel while the Gospel reading presents Mary’s song of praise. In short, we have two women, two stories and two songs. These are two stories of God’s intervention and miraculous conception of babies.
God’s plan and purpose for these babies are revealed in these songs. Both the mothers are willing to become God’s servants. Both the sons are consecrated to God and God’s service. Let us not forget that Mary’s story is one of virginity and purity. Her Son is the Son of God, the Most High. Mary’s Son is the True Prophet.
Let’s rejoice and exult with Hannah and Mary and thank God for our own giftedness today!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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