1 Samuel 1:24-28 / Luke 1:46-56
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on
the child she has borne?" (Isaiah 49:15)
The answer is foregone and obvious. The maternal instinct is well known for its protectiveness over its young and a mother will even sacrifice her life for her children.
But in the 1st reading, we heard that Hannah, after she had weaned Samuel, took him to the temple and offered him over to the Lord.
From the human perspective, that would seem rather cold and stoic, or at least indifferent to her maternal instinct.
But for Hannah, that was the child she prayed for and the Lord granted her what she asked of Him, and so now she offered him over to the Lord for His service.
Hence, Hannah was not cold or stoic or indifferent to her maternal instinct. But with her child or without her child, in whichever way of life, she has offered it over to the Lord.
And in the gospel, Mary was also not indifferent to her situation as she sang her praise to God.
But whether in calmness or in anxiety, in peace or in worry, she is offered over to the Lord.
What we can learn from Mary and from Hannah is that whether in good times or in bad, in sickness or in health, in joy or in sorrow, let us offer it over to the Lord.
The Lord will not forget our offering, just as a mother would not forget the baby at her breast.