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Home Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. Dec 22, 2009 - Tuesday Meditation (And I'm Forever Grateful!)
Dec 22, 2009 - Tuesday Meditation (And I'm Forever Grateful!) PDF Print E-mail
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Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D.
Written by Bobot Apit   
Saturday, 19 December 2009 02:45

G ratitude is such a blessing and a hard virtue to find among mankind today.  But, this is the virtue easily seen in both women today.  I feel grateful for the reminder of how powerful a persistent prayer life can be.  So, I am reminded to trust God always, to not stop praying, and humility is a very attractive quality in a person.  Thank you, Mary and Hannah for showing us the way today. 

 

Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Advent

 

1 Samuel 1:24-28

 

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

 

L uke 1:46-56 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, (47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, (48) for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; (49) for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (50) And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. (51) He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, (52) he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; (53) he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. (54) He has helped his servant Israel , in remembrance of his mercy, (55) as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever." (56) And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

 

Meditation by Deb Fortina

 

1 Samuel 1:24-28 “…’I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.  Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD…’…”

 

1 Samuel 2: 1, 4-6, 6-7, 8abcd “…’He raised the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, To seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.’”

 

Luke 1: 46-56 “…’He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.’…”

 

B lessed Jacopone da Todi, (d.1306) was a noble, a lawyer and a married man.  His wife did penance for the “worldly excesses” of her husband.  After she died in a freak accident, attending a sporting event for him, and he realized she had been doing penance for him, he had a conversion experience and sold all his belongings and became a third order Franciscan (and later asked to join the Order of Friars Minor, First Order, though he did not want to be ordained a priest).  He was always joyful and wrote music that is still used today, with Stabat Mater, being used during Lent, and is one among many. 

 

Mary in today’s reading from Luke expresses herself in a canticle.  The words are very similar to the words Hannah used in the Responsorial reading from 1 Samuel.  Both have given birth or are pregnant with a child who can change the world and help put humanity back on the right track.  Though one could get puffed up at the opportunity these women were presented, we know they would not have been chosen if God didn’t know they’d remain humble with only gratitude for being called to serve.

 

Gratitude is such a blessing and a hard virtue to find among mankind today.  But, this is the virtue easily seen in both women today.  I feel grateful for the reminder of how powerful a persistent prayer life can be. For Hannah, praying initially for her self to escape the scorn of being barren, resolves to give over the child to the LORD if she could be granted the gift of childbearing.  Her prayer is answered and Samuel is the response from the LORD.

 

Mary’s piety and her fiat response when asked to bear the “Savior of the world” are well known.  Having her humility after being around Jesus all his life would be understandable, but the truth is she was humble before she said yes to bearing him in her womb, as she talked about being the “handmaid of the LORD”.  So, I am reminded to trust God always, to not stop praying, and humility is a very attractive quality in a person.  Thank you, Mary and Hannah for showing us the way today.  The world is still full of troubles and in need of a Savior again.

 

Supplementary Reading

 

I WIll NoT…

 

'I will not'… but afterwards he changed his mind and went. – Matthew 21:29

 

 

“I will not” was my consistent answer to the invitation of my best friend. He had been attending these “corny” Charismatic prayer meetings and was resolute to bring me there.

 

We were ordinary high school students who attended (and cut) classes, had superhero stickers on our notebooks and watched X-rated Betamax tapes. (That’s how old I am.)

 

Yet, after his frequent attendance to this “addiction,” he became an alien. He didn’t cut class anymore. He placed “Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, Amen” stickers on his notebooks. He watched biblical movies on Beta tapes. And worse, he started reading the Bible and singing “Alive, alive” songs! Finally,  he convinced me to attend. But not without the magic words: “Obet, they serve merienda after the prayer meeting.” Off I went to the corniest, weirdest and what turned out to be the greatest experience of my entire life. Now I’m almost 20 years in the Lord’s service. Why? Because only fools don’t change their minds. Because God allows U-turns. Because a hardened heart can become a heart so solid as God’s witness. Because repentance literally means “change of mind.” Because now I am an alien, too.

 

I will not… give up on God! ---- Obet Cabrillas

 

REFLECTION:

 

D on’t give up on people who refuse the Great Invitation. They’ve got what it takes: when they give in, they won’t give up in the service of the God who calls.

 

Lord, thank You that it’s never too late to change one’s mind. You are a God of second chances and new beginnings.

  

For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220


 
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link:  http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62#STS=g1jais7y.zk6

GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
 


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