20161222 BLESSING GOD AND HIS PEOPLE WITH THE BLESSINGS WE RECEIVE
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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1 Samuel 1:24-28
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When Hannah had
weaned the infant Samuel, she took him up with her together with a
three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him
to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They
slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you
please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside
you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted
me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life.
He is made over to the Lord.’
There she
left him, for the Lord.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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1 Samuel 2:1,4-8
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My heart exults in
the Lord my Saviour.
My heart exults in
the Lord.
I find my
strength in my God;
my mouth laughs at my
enemies
as I
rejoice in your saving help.
My heart exults in
the Lord my Saviour.
The bows of the
mighty are broken,
but the
weak are clothed with strength.
Those with plenty
must labour for bread,
but the
hungry need work no more.
The childless wife
has children now
but the
fruitful wife bears no more.
My heart exults in
the Lord my Saviour.
It is the Lord who
gives life and death,
he brings
men to the grave and back;
it is the Lord who
gives poverty and riches.
He brings
men low and raises them on high.
My heart exults in
the Lord my Saviour.
He lifts up the lowly
from the dust,
from the
dungheap he raises the poor
to set him in the
company of princes
to give
him a glorious throne.
For the pillars of
the earth are the Lord’s,
on them
he has set the world.
My heart exults in
the Lord my Saviour.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Root of Jesse,
set up as a sign to
the peoples,
come to save us
and delay no more.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Alleluia, alleluia!
King of the peoples
and cornerstone of
the Church,
come and save man,
whom you made from
the dust of the earth.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 1:46-56 ©
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Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults
in God my saviour;
because he has looked
upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day
forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has
done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches
from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power
of his arm,
he has routed the
proud of heart.
He has pulled down
princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has
filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the
help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the
promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to
Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with
Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
BLESSING
GOD AND HIS PEOPLE WITH THE BLESSINGS WE RECEIVE
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ 1 SAMUEL 1:24-28; LUKE 1:46-56 ]
During
Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, we receive gifts. Most of us are
just too happy to receive the gifts. But many do not ponder and reflect
on the meaning of the gifts they receive. Too much is focused on the gift
itself, the price and the product but not on the giver or the implications of
receiving gifts from people. As a consequence, we are not transformed,
nor truly happy and joyful. This is because we have missed out the
whole meaning and the joy of receiving gifts.
Today’s scripture readings
invite us to be like Hannah and Mary who reflected for themselves the gifts
they received from God. They were not just contented to receive the
gifts but they pondered deeply on why they were chosen to receive the gifts and
who it was that was giving them the gifts. Right from the outset, we must
realize that gifts are given to us not just for ourselves but for a greater
purpose. The joy we receive from the gifts is just superficial and
transitory if we do not go deeper than mere receptivity. Rather,
the gifts given to us are meant to indirectly give us greater joy when we give
praise to the giver and share our gifts with others. To give praise
to the giver is to acknowledge our gratitude and appreciation. To share
with others is to participate in the joy and love of the giver. Hence,
those who give praise to the giver and share their gifts with others receive a
deeper and purer joy that lasts beyond the use of the gifts.
In the final analysis,
there are two reasons for receiving gifts. We are called first and
foremost to give praise to God directly for the gifts we receive. Even if
we receive from others, we must give praise to God. Why? God is the giver
of all gifts. He is the absolute foundation of love and all giving since
everything comes from Him alone. Nothing exists without Him and all that
we have belong to Him. “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:30) So even
if others give us gifts, it is because God has given them the capacity and the
generosity to share them with others. So none of us have anything to
boast except to boast of God’s generosity and kindness. This was what
Mary said, “he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.” In her nothingness,
God exalted her and blessed her with the gift of being the mother of the
Messiah.
What does it mean to praise
God? Mary in her exuberance and joy proclaimed, “My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my savior.” To praise
God means to magnify, that is, to proclaim to the whole world God’s glory,
power, love and mercy so that others who are lowly and despondent might find
hope in Him. And that was what Mary did in the Magnificat. She did
not conduct herself with false modesty. On the contrary, with humility,
she acknowledged without reservation, God’s mercy and blessings for her.
“Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the
Almighty has done great things for me.”
In the first place, Mary
praised the power of God in raising the weak and the lowly, the anawim and
destroying the strong and the powerful. “He has shown the power of his
arm, he has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from
their thrones and exalted the lowly.” Indeed, the world relies on human
strength and might, human wisdom and reasoning, power, glory, money and
technology. But God shows His power by dismissing the wisdom of the world
and the influential people. Instead, He chose the anawim, the poor and
the lowly to be His messengers of the Good News, people like Mary, Joseph, the
shepherds, the fishermen, the tax collectors, the uneducated, the outcasts of
society and those who were sick, possessed, and sinners. Such are
the people God chooses to shame the proud and the rich. (cf.1 Cor 1:27-29)
Secondly, God is not only
omnipotent but He is all Mercy. His “mercy reaches from age to age for
those who fear him. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich
sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful
of his mercy.” Indeed, the mercy of God is proclaimed for all generations
since the fall of Adam, through the patriarchs, the Judges, the Kings and the
prophets until the coming of Christ. God has shown His mercy again and
again when the people were unfaithful and disobedient to the Covenant. He
showed His mercy by rescuing them from their enemies, providing for their
needs. He fed His people and filled them with good things. The Lord
is our provider. He supplies our daily bread if only we learn to trust
Him.
Thirdly, God is the giver
of life. In the responsorial psalm, Hannah sang, “The childless wife has
children now but the fruitful wife bears no more. It is the Lord who
gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back.” Indeed, all life
comes from God. Death is our gift to Him for giving us life. Our
life and death lie in His hands. It is not for us to decide when we come
and when we go. God is the one who gives us life in this world.
Every child born is a gift of God. It is not a life to be taken by
anyone. That is why we cannot kill anyone, not even an unborn baby or an
elderly who is no longer useful or mobile or alert, or a person who is
incapacitated from young. And when we die, we should not hold on to
our loved ones because they belong to God and not to us. God comes to
heal us and set us free from fear and anxiety in Christ Jesus.
Fourthly, God is a faithful
God. “He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham
and to his descendants for ever.” God is true to His promise. He is
not a liar and He is completely reliable. “Know therefore that the Lord
your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with
those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Dt 7:9) Indeed, God is
faithful to us and He comes to our help whenever we call out to Him.
However,
it is not enough to declare our praise to God and glorify His name by our
prayers and words. We are called to glorify Him by surrendering all our
blessings to Him and our gifts to Him in return for what He has given to us
since nothing belongs to us. This is the rationale for giving tithes in the
church to remind us that all we have come from Him. Therefore, out of
gratitude, we return a small token of what we have received to remind ourselves
that we are not the owners of our gifts, talents, money, position, wealth,
power and health as well.
It is in this context that
we learn from Hannah the attitude we should have. She was childless and
God gave her a child when she did not deserve it. God took away her
humiliation and in profound gratitude she returned the child back to God for
His service in the Temple as a priest. Such is the great generosity of
Hannah in response to God’s greater generosity. She knew that everything,
including life and her son came from God’s goodness. Hence, she
consecrated her son back to God and for God to use him according to His plan
and divine wisdom. She knew that the child was given to her not for
herself only but for the work and service of God and of His people. So
freely and joyfully, she gave the child for the service of the Temple.
What about us? Many
think that they own children, their spouse, friends and even their workers, as
if they are their property and that they have full ownership of them. Yet
the truth is that they do not belong to us but to God. They are the sheep
of the flock and this flock belongs to God our Shepherd. We are all His
sheep. We are like St Joseph, called to be guardians to those whom
the Lord has entrusted to our care. Some of us are given the role of
deputy shepherds to look after them for God. Our task is to mold them to
be like Christ our Good Shepherd. Our role is to help them grow in
wisdom, maturity and grace. We are to help them discover their vocation
and calling in life; and to respond to the call of God to serve Him according
to the plan He has for each of them.
Ultimately, everyone is
called to be a life-giver. We are called to be a gift to others since we
are gifts from God. Life is not so much to make a success of ourselves,
to earn money, have a great career, enjoy and take care of
ourselves. But that is the message that parents often give to their
children. We tell them to study hard so that they can earn big bucks, be
famous and live in luxury. We do not tell them that their lives are
meant to be used for the glory of God and the service of humanity. They
do not belong to us; neither are we our own. We belong to God and for the
service of His people.
This is
true for all other gifts as well. We must not keep our gifts, whatever
they are, talents, charisms, position, money and wealth for ourselves. We
must share with others for the glory of God and the service of humanity.
We should take what we really need and give the rest to others who need them
more than ourselves. When we give away what is ours, our joy is
doubled. When we give away what we receive, our joy is increased and that
joy is sustained beyond the reception of the gift. So do not miss out the
real meaning of receiving gifts, which is to give hope to others either by
glorifying God so that others have hope in Him or by being direct channels of His
grace.
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