Friday of the Third Week of Advent
(I Samuel 1:24-28; Luke 1:46-56)
One is hard-pressed to find a relationship between the
reading and the gospel today. It might
be asked: “What does the account of Hannah’s delivering her son into the Lord’s
service have in common with Mary’s praise of the Lord?” The answer may be found in a more extensive
reading of the First Book of Samuel. After
dedicating her son to the Lord, Hannah utters a discourse much like Mary’s hymn
of praise to God in the gospel. Hannah too
tells of the mighty being humbled, the well-fed searching for bread, and the
poor being lifted up.
Nevertheless, Mary goes further than her Old Testament
counterpart in praising the Lord. She anticipates
the preaching of her son by saying how God has already blessed her, His “lowly
servant.” In Luke’s gospel Jesus continually reiterates the message of the
world’s order being turned upside down with the coming of the Kingdom. He tells of the wealthy being humbled and the
poor being elevated, oppressors being silenced while the suffering are relieved. Mary says something similar but pertinent to
her situation. God has shown favor to
her by making her the bearer of His son.
Furthermore, he is rescuing Israel by sending His Son as the nation’s
savior.
Mary is doing the work of a preacher who brings to life
God’s word in present circumstances. It
is not enough for a homilist to retell the gospel; he or she must apply it to
contemporary times if listeners are to find hope in meeting present
challenges. Similarly, we should share
with others how we have found Christ’s message resonating in our lives. For example, the marginalized are being given
priority when refugee families are assisted in finding housing and work in our
communities.
