Homily for Tuesday, Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Jan. 11, 2022
1 Sam 1: 9-20
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, New Rochelle

“Hannah rose … and presented herself before the Lord” (1 Sam 1: 9).

Yesterday we began a long series of readings from 1-2 Samuel that will take us into the 4th Week of O.T.  We began with Hannah’s misery because she’s childless and thus scorned by society, except her husband, who loves her dearly.

In her misery, Hannah turns to the Lord rather than venting her emotions upon others.  She prays fervently and doesn’t turn to false solutions—in her time, perhaps to the idols of the Canaanites; as the childless in our time might turn to IVF or surrogacy, 2 immoral practices that turn away from God to solve a problem on one’s own terms.

Hannah’s prayer is humble.  She speaks her heartfelt piece to the Lord, then leaves the matter in his hands with a promise, not a demand or a conditional commitment.

The final piece of Hannah’s prayer we might overlook.  Having pleaded with the Lord, she and her husband to their part to cooperate with God, to give the Lord the necessary opportunity to hear her prayer.  You can’t win a lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, and Hannah can’t conceive a son unless she and Elkanah have relations (1:19).

There’s an old adage in Christian life:  pray as if all depends on God, and work as if all depends on you.  Hannah does that, the saints have done that, and it’s valid for us as well.