Saturday of the Third Week of Advent, 2018

Yesterday (and tomorrow) we read the narrative of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth who was barren and advanced in age, so she was not expected to bear a child. In this visit, she was pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary with Jesus. Today’s first reading narrates Hannah presenting her son Samuel to the Lord. She had been praying to conceive, she poured her heart to the Lord. From her we should learn in our prayer to pour our heart to Christ, praying faithfully, and knowing that He will answer with what is best for us. In the narratives of these women we see just that, Hannah prayed for a child and she conceived; likewise, Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, prayed for a child and she conceived.

From these narratives, we should learn to be thankful to the Lord for His countless blessings to us. Hannah brings her child to the Lord to fulfill her promise to Him that, “as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord,” to give thanks for the answered prayers. She then bursts into song, which we proclaimed as the responsorial psalm, a song that focuses on giving praise to God: The Lord puts to death and gives life, makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts. The Gospel reading is the Magnificat, the account of Mary doing something similar by praising God for the blessings she has received. Later, Zechariah’s tongue is freed and sings praise to God. Likewise, we should always remember to give thanks and praise to Him for all the blessings we receive.

As we prepare for the birth of our Lord, like Hannah, let us also pour out our hearts to Him in prayer. Following Mary’s example, let us “proclaim the greatness of the Lord” who became human like us in a fragile body, to be our savior. Just as Mary was preparing to receive our Lord in her arms, let us join her in preparing the arms of our soul to receive our Savior in that same body as we receive the Eucharist, an act of thanksgiving. Embrace Him showing your love for Jesus, and praise Him for “the Almighty has done great things for [us].”