There is great purpose in God’s great blessings

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Friday of the Third Week of Advent, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ Today, as well as several times already in this past week, the liturgy of the word has delivered to us many parallel stories of barren women, of special children, of temple moments of significance, of special blessings.

Today is no exception.

The responsorial psalm is not really a psalm at all, but rather an excerpt from the first book of Samuel.

It parallels beautifully the response of Mary to Elizabeth’s greeting popularly known as Mary’s “Magnificat.”

All three women (Hannah, Elizabeth, and Mary) acknowledge their blessings — their pregnancies — and sing the praises of God.

And today’s praises, proclaimed by Hannah and then by Mary, witness not only a blessing given to Hannah then Mary, but also to humankind.

Hannah is given not only a son, but the child who was to become the first king of Israel, and the future father of David — yes, the famous David who was the beginning of the Davidic line to be traced to Jesus.

These were no ordinary boys, but specially planned pregnancies of God’s own choosing.

There was great purpose coming about through God’s great blessings.

And so the response of Hannah in the temple as she dedicates her own and only son is profound and hard, at least for this writer to understand —

“‘I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord’,” Hannah’s words were. “And she left Samuel there.”

Who does that?

Who prays for and hopes for a child in the midst of barrenness, and finally gets that prayer and hope fulfilled, then deposits that child in the temple — or any temple for that matter — in complete gratitude and walks away without that child in her arms?

This is, indeed, a story of significance, and then a boy of significance, and finally a future for a whole people of significance.

There is a profound God-giving and giving-back-to-God thing going on here, and the reader just knows that this is not the end of the story at all.

Rather, it is a story that is about to become bigger than life, filled with meaning and purpose, and blessings galore to come!

And if that is true of this story of Hannah, just wait until we unpack this story of Mary.

Not only is there something incarnational going on in Mary’s story, but there will be a cross and resurrection, too!

And Mary’s response to Elizabeth until this very day remains true and oft repeated, “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”

Father Perry Dean Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com.