Peace is the Answer

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:9-20 ~~~ Psalm (1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD)~~~

~~~ Mark 1:21-28 ~~~ 

 “Quiet! Come out of him!”

The unclean spirit convulsed him 

and with a loud cry came out of him.

Jesus cast out the unclean spirits 

within the synagogue worship space. 

He cast out these evil spirits in the presence of the elders.

Jesus was firm in his command to the un-welcomed guest.

He did not scream, his eyes did not roll back in his head.

Jesus spoke his command with strength and confidence.

The desired result was attained...the unclean spirit fled.

As this unclean spirit fled its resistance caused 

the host person to convulse.

The evil spirit had taken up residence 

within the body and soul of this poor man.

The words of Jesus have power, 

not just for unclean spirits 

but for good too.

The words of Jesus appear to be just like our words, 

but his words are truly the words of God.

Hannah was not possessed by an unclean spirit,

 but she was distraught.

She had not been able to conceive a child.

...my prayer has been prompted

 by my deep sorrow and misery.

Eli, the priest said

 “Go in peace,

and may the God of Israel 

grant you what you have asked of him.”

Both Hannah and the possessed man

had their prayer answered by God.

Both were granted peace from God.

Many times we do not realize that the answer to our prayers

includes God's peace.

If we can find peace in our lives

 then what we think we need in our lives may just change.

May you find peace in your life.

Peace in your soul will change the outcomes of your prayers.

Pray for your needs, but be open to God's peace.

Peace fills the cracks in our heart.

Blessings in prayer.

~~~Peace~~~

O Rex Gentium~King of the Nations

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~

~~~ (Psalm) 1 SAMUEL 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD ~~~

~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

 O Rex Gentium 

(O King of the nations)

O King of all the nations, 

the only joy of every human heart;

O Keystone of the mighty arch of man:

Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Hannah prays from the life of joy. 

She has given birth to a son, Samuel. 

She is obedient to God's plan.

Just as Elizabeth and Mary give birth to sons

according to the God's plan.

All three women filled with life 

sustaining fulfilling joy.

For us too; when we comply to the will of God

there is joy in our heart.

To allow God to form us into his design

means that we accept him as the King of our heart.

The O Antiphon reminds us that we were created from dust.

Jesus comes to save us; we will return to dust.

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

Mary's prayer, that we know as the Magnificat,

echoes the joyful prayer of Hannah.

Mary knew the scriptures she was familiar

 with the story of Hannah and Samuel.

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

She left Samuel there.

The scriptures tell us to make our requests known to the Lord;

just be sure you are ready to accept his answer.

The Lord answers all of our prayers.

Be vigilant. Wait patiently.

The answers come in God's time.

May the Blessings of the Lord

cause your heart to leap for joy.

The Lord is very near to us.

~~~Peace~~~

JOY

to the World!

A Mother's Heart

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~ 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

Hannah prayed for a child.

God blessed her with a son, Samuel.

Out of gratitude for Samuel she presented him in the temple.

She dedicated him back to the Lord and left him there.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

She left Samuel there.

This must have been a great sacrifice

 for Hannah;

to give up her son.

It must have been equally 

as difficult for young Samuel to understand.

Why would his mother leave him in the temple?

The Gospel brings us to Mary as she visits with Elizabeth.

A young expectant mother with an aging expectant mother...both 

equally in awe of the power of God.

These three mothers receive the grace to bear their sons

 to fulfill the word of the Lord.

Samuel served Eli faithfully for many years to come.

John served God until his beheading,

 ordered by Herod.

Jesus serves all who come to him to be saved.

Jesus came to die for those whom his father loved.

Three mothers whose sons accomplished great 

things under the direction of God.

We may not be asked to dedicate our son to the Lord,

but we are asked to make sacrifices for God.

We are asked to dedicate ourselves to back to the Lord

 in thanksgiving for his wondrous deeds.

Hannah and Mary express their prayer using similar words...

Hannah prays...

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Mary prays...

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...

The time is now for us to align our prayer with these holy women.

How has God manifest wonders for you this Advent?

What causes your heart and soul to proclaim his greatness?

The Blessings of the Lord

come to us so that we too may exult in the Lord.

Come, Jesus, Come!

Answered Prayers

~~1 Samuel 1:9-20~~(Psalm) 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd ~~Mark 1:21-28~~

 Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.

Fervently Hannah prayed for a child, not just any child but a son.

She spoke the words from her heart.

Her voice was silent, but her lips were carefully 

forming each word.

God listens and God answers even when we 

cannot hear our own voice.

God does not need to hear our spoken words in order 

to hear our prayer requests.

Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

Eli loved Hannah even though she had been barren for years.

He respected and honored her longing to bear him a child.

He blessed her prayers. He joined with her desire

 that God would hear her prayer.

He wanted her to be at peace with her prayer.

He wanted her to believe that God was indeed listening to her heart.

Sometimes what we long for within our soul

 is more powerful than any prayerful words could ever be.

How has God answered your prayers?

...for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

A new teaching with authority.

Jesus taught in the Temple with the authority 

bestowed on him by the Father and the power of the Spirit.

He taught from the source. A 'new teaching' indeed.

He spoke with pure goodness, holiness.

He spoke from the heart from his core.

The evil spirits could not ignore his searing words,

even though he was not speaking directly to them.

They felt compelled to exit their host, whom they had been

 tormenting for some time.

His words literally put the fear of God in them.

They wanted to escape...to run and hide.

The unclean spirits could not get out 

of their host being soon enough.

Prayers were answered for a man who came to listen

 to the teaching of Jesus.

The man himself made no request to be freed

 from the unclean spirits.

Jesus heard his prayer of silent desire.

It is not always necessary to use words when we pray.

May God answer those prayers in the silence of your heart...

those unspoken prayers...those prayers which have no adequate words.

God Blesses us with answers to prayers

 we have yet to pray.

He answers with what he knows is best for us.

Hannah received her son, Samuel.

God heard her solemn prayer.

The man was cleansed of the unclean spirit.

God heard the prayer he had not yet spoken.

Prayers of Hannah

The book of Samuel 1:9-20

We find Hannah distraught with being unable to conceive children. She goes to the temple to pray, which is admirable, but she is bitter. She prays 'weeping copiously'; not too surprising for a woman to be crying. Right? Then she makes a deal with God.

I used to watch a television show called Deal or No Deal. People on this show would make unbelievable choices always  motivated by the lure of making a better deal. May be some food for thought there.

So back to Hannah. She not only begs to conceive a son; she goes on to make promises on behalf of this son. Now I am the mother of two sons and if I even begin to try to tell them how to live their lives they would resist. I am not sure about making these kinds of bargains with God, especially when they go beyond yourself. While I certainly pray for my children; I do not think our prayers should be bargains. When we come to the Lord in prayer it is 'Deal or No Deal', but God is in control.

The best attitude for me is to pray that I will have the grace to accept God's answer, especially when it is contrary to what I want. But as we read on in the book of Samuel God does bless Hannah with a son. He does answer her prayers.

Hannah's prayer was 'prompted by her deep sorrow and misery'. St. Catherine of Sienna, a Doctor of the Church says, "...never let your soul give in to sadness or discouragement, for the devil would like nothing better." She warns us that these feelings tempt us to give up on God; even to stop praying in some cases.

I admire Hannah because she does take her sadness to God in her prayer.

"May the spoken words of my mouth, thoughts of my heart, win favor in your sight, O Lord."

(Ps. 19:15)

Let our prayers rise up to God like fragrant incense, carrying our sadness and disappointments to him. If you focus on the smoke from incense, it first rises filling, clouding the air for a moment and then it slowly disappears. This rising incense becomes one with the surrounding air leaving behind only it's fragrance as evidence of its presence. (More about the importance of fragrance another time.)

Hannah called out to the Lord in prayer and she was blessed by his answer...Samuel.

"Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,

which are the prayers of the holy ones." (Revelation 5:8)

Music and incense, ambience for prayer.

I chose this original picture because it captured the incense smoke rising.

I am eager to be overshadowed with the fragrance of God.