The Gospel reading today is from Luke 1. It is Mary’s great Magnificat. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant.” Beautiful! A bit of personal trivia…my wife and I are part of Teams of Our Lady. We pray the Magnificat together each day as part of our obligations. It is a blessing to repeat these wonderful words daily.
In the first reading we see the story of Hannah, Samuel’s mother, dedicating him to the Lord. She goes to the temple in Shiloh and presents the boy to Eli, the priest, saying, “I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.”
Consider that phrase for a moment. Dedicated to the Lord. I know a lot of people who are very dedicated. Some to their jobs. Some to their favorite football or baseball team. Some to a sport. (Oh, he’s a very dedicated runner.) We can be dedicated to many things. Dedicated people will do whatever is asked of them.They go above and beyond the call of duty. But are we, like Samuel, dedicated to the Lord? Are we willing to do whatever God asks of us? To go above and beyond for the Lord?
Father, today, this very moment, we dedicate ourselves to you. Help us remain dedicated to you every day of our lives. Amen.
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