Ordinarily the response to the first reading at Mass is taken from one of the 150 psalms. Today, in place of a psalm the response is the prayer (Canticle) of Hannah. The first reading tells the story of Hannah offering her long prayed-for son, Samuel, to the Lord. Her prayer is one of trust and confidence in God. The gospel is Mary’s prayer (Canticle) of gratitude at the coming of her son, Jesus. The two canticles have much in common. In particular they talk about the coming reversal, that God is going to change the dire circumstances of today into a brighter tomorrow. Hannah prays, “The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts.” Mary prays, “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.” Even though 1000 years separate Hannah and Mary their prayers have similar themes because they are familiar with the ways of God. In our dire times we need to have the same confidence that Hannah and Mary exhibited in trusting in God’s ability to put us on a new path. When we know our history and scripture, we learn to take the long view and see that God’s plan for a more just and peaceful world is still unfolding according to God’s agenda, not ours.
