1 Sam 1:24-28 / Luke 1:46-56
What we heard in the gospel is the prayer of hymn of Mary, which is also commonly called the "Magnificat".
Whenever we hear it or whenever we pray it, have we ever reflected about it and what are our feelings about it?
Certainly it was a prayer of exaltation and magnifying the Lord, and also a prayer to praise the mighty works of the Lord.
But would we say that prayer with conviction and mean what we say?
Of course we might say that Mary's prayer is so lofty and we are so unworthy to say it. And we might also say that Mary can say it but not us.
But Mary can say such a prayer because she had surrendered her all to the Lord and hence being filled with the love of God and from the bounty of her heart, she prays such a prayer.
As in the 1st reading, Hannah had surrendered her all to the Lord in prayer and when she was given a child, she also surrendered her child Samuel to the Lord, or made over to the Lord.
May we too like Mary surrender our whole life to the Lord so that we can truly praise and magnify the Lord with all our heart.
And like Hannah who had Samuel made over to the Lord, may we also give ourselves totally to the service of the Lord.