Yesterday, we heard of Hannah’s pain and shame of being barren, feeling that the Lord had abandoned her. Hannah brings her sufferings to the Lord at his sanctuary at Shiloh. She promises God that is he gives her the gift of a son, that she would dedicate that child to service to the Lord for his entire life, in contrast to the promises made by the males of the tribe of Levi, who serve the Lord from age 25 to age 50. Her son would be dedicated to service in the Lord’s sanctuary at Shiloh. Hannah receives a blessing of peace from Eli, who prays that the God of Israel grant Hannah what she had asked of him in her prayers.
This past weekend, we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord in the final day of the Christmas season. I think of the baptisms we have at St Jude, of the joy and hope in which parents have their children baptized, in which they promise to bring up their children as disciples of Christ, as members of the Body of Christ in the Church. All of us are called to honor our baptismal promises, to follow God’s law and God’s will in our lives. God can answer our prayers in different ways, just as he answered the prayers of Hannah. Through our baptismal promises, we promise to serve just as Christ served, to carry our crosses and to follow him.
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