HOMILY FOR FRIDAY, 3RD WEEK IN ADVENT, YEAR B

HOMILY FOR FRIDAY, 3RD WEEK IN ADVENT, YEAR B

THEME: HANNAH’S LESSONS

BY: FR. KARABARI PAUL

“For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me my petition which I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

There are many examples of godly mothers in the Bible. One of them is Hannah. She was the mother of Samuel, one of the prophets found in the Old Testament. There are a few things we can learn from her story. Firstly, it teaches us that we should always show compassion towards others, even when we don’t understand what they are going through. Hannah was unable to have children and it was a huge issue for her. Her husband Elkanah simply said: ‘Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’ (1 Samuel 1:8). And Elkanah’s other wife Peninnah provoked and teased her. There are women who are unable to have children or who have lost children, and we might not be able to understand that grief, but we should react with compassion and sensitivity.

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Secondly, Hannah knew where to take her sadness. She went to God to tell Him everything. When Eli the priest found her, she told him ‘I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.’ And when we are facing overwhelming emotions and desperate situations, we need to do the same. God’s always there to listen and comfort us.

Finally, in the First Reading of today (1 Samuel 1:24–28), we see Hannah keeping her promise to God. When she was praying for a child, she promised that if she had one she would give it to God. When she gave birth to Samuel, she remembered her promise. She said: ‘When the boy is old enough to eat solid food…I will give him to the Lord’ (1 Samuel 1:22). Hannah was so devoted to God that she was willing to give Him the son she had longed for. That is the kind of devotion we need to have too.

Fulfilling a promise made to God is one of the first signs of gratitude. So many of us only remember to ask but not to say thank you. The story of the ten lepers represents the exact percentage of grateful and ungrateful humanity. We never get enough. The instinct to wait for more to come before we show gratitude is common for ungrateful people. We should never forget Hannah who never waited to get another one before giving Samuel in fulfilment for her vow to God. Hannah said, “I am the woman who was standing here praying.” Hannah reminded God how she came begging. We want God to remind us. What we sacrifice to God is our own gain. Nothing is too costly to offer. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.

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