A place of worship has a particular ambience and atmosphere surrounding it.
For us Christians, we believe that the Church is the house of God and a house of prayer.
It is a sacred place where worship and prayer are offered and God is there to listen to our prayers and grant our needs.
In the 1st reading, Hannah went to the Temple and stood before the Lord. In the bitterness of her soul, she prayed to the Lord with many tears and even made a vow to the Lord.
In the gospel, it was in a synagogue where a man possessed by an unclean spirit caused a commotion by shouting at Jesus and revealing who Jesus is.
So in a place of worship and prayer, not only praise and thanksgiving are offered, there are also lamentations and voices of despair and distress.
And God is there is there to be glorified and He also listens to those in despair and distress and frees them from bondage and oppression and grants them peace.
May we always experience the presence and the love of God when we come to Church, and may we also bring those in need of prayer to the Lord and help them to pray and to experience the loving presence of God in His house.