1 Samuel 1:24-2b,
PSALM 1 Samuel 2: 1.4-5.6-7
Luke 11:46-56 Full Readings
Blessed Jacopone da TodiThe Lord has Done Great things for Me
Brethren, Do you think that God has done any great thing for you? Have you thought of giving something to him in appreciation? Learn something from Hannah and Mary today, and see for yourself how you cannot outdo God in generosity! Hannah gave Samuel her only son back to God and became a mother of more children. For her part, Mary gave God her time in service to the needy and all generations call her blessed. What have you given back to God for your life? It is not late yet to begin – and could start now. Do not look for him in faraway places. He is right beside you in the faces of the poor and the less privileged. As you do that, may you also have the cause to sing out in praise like Hannah and Mary.
Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfill the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favor of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry with good things. Hannah like Mary had been without child and God in a marvelous way gave her a son, named Samuel, whom she dedicated at an early age to the service of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:24ff.) Mary, too, would lose her son to a servant ministry that would take him to the cross. Christmas is a time for renewing our faith and hope in God and in his promises and for deepening our love for God and for neighbors.
Brethren, what have you returned to God for all the great things he has done to you? We can do this in many ways, but we must always give Glory and rejoice in the Lord as Mary did in her song. Whatever the circumstances, we should always give praise and rejoice in the Lord for we know, as Mary knew, that God will keep his word and he will raise the lowly and the poor. By doing charity to others we are also repaying God for what he has done to us. Christmas is the time to praise and rejoice in the Lord for sending his only begotten for our salvation. How are we going to thank the Lord? Start now.
Today's O Antiphon
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
Let us Pray
Lord God, I am very grateful for all that you have done in my life and what you are still doing. I surrender my life to you as a gratitude, use it for your glory. May your praise be always on my lips and rejoice in you forever and ever. Amen.
Be blessed.
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