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Advent Reflection - Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
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December 22, 2021In the first reading, Hannah--the mother of Samuel--through her prayers to God, offers, not only her service, praise, and reverence to the Lord but Samuel, her son, as well--which he is the manifestation of her due service to the Most High, her praise in praying for--and having--him, and her reverence toward the one who is the Lord of all. It’s important to recognize, however, that it all began with prayer. Thus, no prayer encapsulates the miracle of Being than today’s Gospel reading: the Magnificat. The Canticle of Mary. When the prayers we have been repeating for the past decade are finally answered, we can’t help ourselves--through the virtues and graces we hold dear--but exalt the Lord as Our Lady does and say in accompaniment: “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.”
Both women--Hannah and Mary--teach us to serve the Lord with our sacrifices, be it by constant prayer or by simply saying ‘be it done according to thy word,’ and by praising Him, too, through inhabiting the same childlike wonder the children of this world possess. Through it all, though, it is in reverence when we are reminded that our every breath is inspired by Him, and through these things--through serving, praising, and reverencing Him--we, like Mary, will proclaim the greatness of the Lord and--like Hannah--are bound to dedicate our Being entire to Him who made us with love.
