20201222 MAGNIFYING THE LORD
22 December, 2020, Tuesday, 4th Week of Advent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
1 Samuel 1:24-28 © |
This is the child I prayed for: he is made over to the Lord.
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Root of Jesse,
set up as a sign to the peoples,
come to save us
and delay no more.
Alleluia!
Or: |
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!
Gospel | Luke 1:46-56 © |
The Almighty has done great things for me
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.
MAGNIFYING THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SAMUEL 1:24-28; LUKE 1:46-56 ]
In both scripture readings, we have Hannah and Mary magnifying the Lord for the great things He had done for them. Indeed, we can share the joy of Hannah and Mary. One was sterile and the other was a virgin. For Hannah, it was thought impossible for her to conceive a child and for Mary, it was unthinkable since she was a virgin. But when such events happen, not only do the recipients marvel at God’s mercy and power but so do all of us who listen to their stories as well. This is true in many areas of our lives. We are filled with thanksgiving when we are cured of a terminal illness like cancer, or when we are in financial difficulties and God gives us a lifeline, or when we are facing extreme challenges in a project, and we know that on our own strength we would not have been able to complete it. When we think there is no more hope left, God surprises us with a miracle.
Indeed, we cannot but magnify the Lord, glorify Him for His marvelous works, mercy and might. This was what Hannah and Mary did. Both of them used an ancient hymn to express their gratitude to God who made such miracles possible. Their hearts exulted in the Lord because they found strength in God. “My mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help. 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. 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. 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.” With God, nothing is impossible. He wins victory over our enemies, and have pity on the weak, the hungry and the poor.
But what is even more important is that they did not magnify the Lord just by their words of praise and thanksgiving. They magnified God by their lives. To magnify the Lord is to give glory to Him. How can this be done if not to make use of what He has given to us to glorify Him, to make Him known and loved. For both women, they knew that what they received was not for themselves but to bless and glorify God with what they had received. This explains why Hannah who was childless and desperate for a child, could after a few years with him, willingly give back the child for the service and glory of God. 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.” It is the same for Mary when Jesus left her when He was 30 years old for the ministry, and especially when He hung on the cross. She returned her Son to God, just as her Son had reminded her, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49)
This is an important reminder to us all that whatever the Lord has blessed us with, it is not for ourselves but for us to bless God with them. It is a great thing to receive blessings from God, whether spiritual, personal or material gifts. But St Paul also reminded us of the words of our Lord, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) The truth is that when God blesses us, He wants us to share our blessings with others. God does not give us talents, money and gifts just for ourselves and our own enjoyment. Everyone is God’s child and there is no greater joy we can give to our Heavenly Father than to make use of what He has given to us for the good of His other children who are not blessed with as much gifts as we have. It is our duty indeed to share and bless others with what the Lord has given to us because all gifts are given to us on trust. God wants to make use of us for His greater glory and for the service of His people.
It is within this context that Hannah and Mary did not keep their children to themselves, unlike some parents who are possessive of their children. Few would have the generosity of Hannah to leave their young son at the Temple to serve God. Few would have the courage to allow their children to die for others. Some are not willing to allow their children to pursue their dreams and vocation to be priests, religious or lay missionaries to bring the gospel to the poor in foreign countries, or to avail themselves for the service of the people and God. In fact, many mothers cannot separate themselves from their children. They will do anything to keep the children for themselves. They want their children to serve them and look after them, give them a good and luxurious life until they die. When we see our children in this manner, we are not really loving them but making use of them to fulfill our needs. They do not realize that God gave them children so that when they grow up they can be channels of God’s blessings to others. God gives us children so that we can prepare them to serve others. Only in this way is God magnified further.
Hannah and Mary knew that they were called to raise up their children for the service of God. All our children do not belong to us but to God alone. They are given to us for a period when we are called to form them in truth and in love, for God and for their fellowmen. Our task and joy is to give them the formation they need so that they can be useful in the world. In other words, the task of parents is to help their children to find their vocation in life and assist them to fulfill the dream that God wants them to realize. Only then can their children find real happiness. The mistake of many parents is to make their children fulfill their dreams and aspirations rather than that of God’s. This explains why even when their children become successful in life, they continue to experience emptiness and incompleteness because they are not following the designs that God had for them. Hence, helping our children to follow their vocation is not just to magnify God but also to help them live meaningful, fulfilling, happy lives. Indeed, no greater joy can parents have than to see their children grow up to be life-givers to others, making a difference in the lives of their fellowmen, contributing to Church and society, doing good works and glorifying God in their lives. When we see them grow up to be God-fearing, humble, selfless and generous individuals, we know that we have glorified God and helped them to magnify God as well.
Indeed, we must see our lives and the lives of those entrusted to us in the context of God’s plan. We must see beyond our immediate needs and to place ourselves in the bigger plan of God for us all, the whole of humanity. We are not created for ourselves but for each other and for Him. No man is an island and no man can find fulfillment alone. We need each other. Happiness is when we are filled with love because of the beautiful relationships we have established with others. This is why we have to be ready to share and bless others with what we have received rather than hoard them for ourselves. We cannot bring the material things with us to the next world, or even keep them in this life. As we grow older, our health will fail, our importance in society will diminish, and our money will gradually be expended. But that is not important so long as we grow in love and rest content that we have done our fair share for the good of society. Like Hannah and Mary, we must surrender all we have back to God. We are all called to participate in God’s plan for humanity. In the process of cooperating with His plan, we find true happiness for ourselves.
So today, let us magnify the Lord and glorify Him by being people of thanksgiving for all the gifts we have received. We thank God this Christmas for giving us the gift of His Son. But the way to thank Him at Christmas for the gift of His Son is to give the gift of Jesus to others. This is the greatest gift we can give to anyone. We give Jesus to others by being instruments and channels of His love as Samson and Jesus did. Samson delivered his people from the Philistines and inaugurated the beginning of the Monarchy for Israel. Jesus came to redeem us from our sins. At Christmas, we too are called to be gifts to others by sharing our gifts with them, by visiting the abandoned, the lonely, the elderly and the sick. We bring Jesus to those who are despondent by giving them a listening ear. We bring Jesus to the poor by offering them gifts of love. Regardless, whatever we do, we glorify God by our life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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