December 22, 2018
Saturday of the 3rd Week of Advent
1 Samuel 1:24-28 ;
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8;
Gospel LK 1:46-56
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. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever." Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
Rejoice, Remember and Reach Out
Rejoice. “Mary said, ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God, my Savior; because He has looked upon His lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is His name.’”
Remember. Mary recalls, “…and His mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear Him. He has shown the power of His arm, He has routed the proud of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry He has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away. He has come to the help of Israel, His servant, mindful of His mercy – according to the promise He made to our ancestors – of His mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.”
Reach out. The Gospel today concludes: “Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.” These are the three R’s for a healthy life. We all need them to be spiritually healthy and stay happy. Never cease rejoicing, for, with great loving favor, the Lord looks upon us and our loved ones. Remember how good the Lord is; and He is good all the time. Remembering is the secret of rejoicing. But rejoicing and remembering must motivate us to share with others the blessings we have. We reach out to serve others. Reaching out, therefore, completes our healthy life. If all we do is rejoice and remember, but not reach out to others, we will suffer spiritual indigestion.
For a healthy life, we must feed on these three dishes all together. It is not a matter of choosing only one or two of them. We need the three dishes to nourish our soul and be truly happy. God was the first to have rejoiced, remembered, and reached out. He rejoiced over Mary, His lowly handmaid. He remembered the promise He made to Abraham and His seed forever. He reached out to us and became one like us in all things, save sin. When we rejoice, remember, and reach out, we imitate God and share in His joy.
Since Christmas is a special time for table fellowship, let us not forget to serve these three dishes for true nourishment. Let’s make sure that in the table of life, rejoicing in the Lord, remembering His goodness, and reaching out to others are all together served.
Fr. Martin Kuzhivelil CMI
