December 22, 2009
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
By Beth DeCristofaro
(Hannah said) 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. (1 Samuel 1:27-28)
“…and Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” (Luke 1:46-47)
Piety
“Yahweh, my heart has no false pride; my eyes do not look too high. I am not concerned with great affairs or things far above me. It is enough for me to keep my soul still and quiet like a child in its mother’s arms, as content as a child that has been weaned. Israel, hope in Yahweh, now and for always!” (Psalm 131 from Psalms Anew)
Study
Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat, is my favorite prayer. Mary’s opening words: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” are without a doubt one of the most beautiful witnesses to a life in Christ ever uttered.
The prayer begins at the moment when two pious and dutiful women meet with the promise of salvation gestating between them and is linked to the heritage of God’s chosen people as Mary invokes the name of Abraham, her – our - father in faith. In a footnote, the NAB reminds us that the Magnificat sounds many of the themes that will echo within and throughout Luke’s Gospel: “joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God's favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.” (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke1.htm)
I love this prayer. But today’s first reading distracts me from its jubilation. I can’t help contrast Mary’s exultant tone with Hannah’s determined willpower as she leaves her beloved son in the temple. What kind of a God would require a woman to abandon a child? It appears inconceivable and on the eve of the birth of Jesus, it appears cruel.
But even as I want to say “No,” I must remember that Hannah does not say “No.” It is her pledge to dedicate Samuel to God, her choice and her “Yes” which is carried out. And Mary’s “Yes” allowed the Word to become man. Even as she sang her canticle, I can imagine that Mary held some fear and trepidation at the unknown, devastating future which she and her son would face just as Hannah knew sorrow at returning to her childless home. But each woman trusted and placed her dedication to God first, before even her most precious heart’s desire.
The website Sacred Space speaks to this choice: “Saint John (15:1) reminds us of the meaning of suffering: ‘God prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more.’ We are never good judges of when God is closest to us.” (http://sacredspace.ie/)
We are so beloved by God that God came to us in the form of the Son. What God asks in return is that our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord; and our spirits rejoice in God our savior. Can we do less?
Action
God comes as the most vulnerable among us, a baby needing our love and nurturing to survive. Can we make ourselves vulnerable to the changes that God’s overwhelming love and forgiveness can affect in our lives? How does God thrive within us? Does God grow and enlarge within our hearts and move into the world by what we think, say, and do? Are we ready to leave our old selves behind, even if it is painful, while our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord and our Spirits rejoice each day in God our savior?
