December
22, 2015
Tuesday
of the Fourth Week of Advent
Saint
of the Day: Saint Ischyrion, Martyr (c. 250)
Reading 1
24In
those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an
ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD
in Shiloh.[1]
25After
the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached
Eli 26and said: “Pardon, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who
stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
27I
prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 28Now I, in turn, give
him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” She
left Samuel there.
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
1“My
heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my
enemies; I rejoice in my victory.”[2]
R.
My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
4“The
bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength. 5The
well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. The
barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.”
R.
My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
6“The
LORD puts to death and gives life; He casts down to the nether world; He
raises up again. 7The LORD makes poor and makes rich, He humbles, He also
exalts.”
R.
My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
8a“He
raises the needy from the dust; 8bfrom the dung heap He lifts up the poor, 8cTo
seat them with nobles 8dand make a glorious throne their heritage.”
R.
My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Alleluia
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
O
King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you
formed from the dust!
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
46Mary
said: “My
soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47my spirit rejoices in God my
savior. 48For He has looked upon His lowly servant. From this day all
generations will call me blessed: 49the Almighty has done great things for me, and
holy is His Name.
50He
has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation. 51He has shown the
strength of His arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
52He
has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.
53He
has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.
54He
has come to the help of His servant Israel for He remembered His promise of
mercy, 55the promise He made to our fathers, to Abraham and His children forever.”[3]
56Mary
remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
[2] 1 Samuel 2:1-10 - A hymn attributed to Hannah, the mother
of Samuel, as her thanksgiving to God because she has borne a son despite her
previous sterility. She praises God as the helper of the weak (1 Samuel 2:1-2, who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Samuel 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Samuel 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the
king (1 Samuel 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with our Lady's Magnificat.
[3] Luke 1:46-55 - Although Mary is praised for being the
mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a
psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the
canticle to the context of Mary's pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the
Magnificat (with the possible exception of v 48) may have been a Jewish
Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if
not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: 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. The
loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact
that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth,
even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker.
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.