Hannah's Prayer: A Prophecy

The end of Hannah's song of exaltation flows into prophecy. “The Lord will judge the ends of the earth,” Hannah announces, “He will give strength to His king, and exalt the power of His anointed.”

She probably didn't even understand completely what she was saying, for the Holy Spirit was using her as His instrument, speaking through her to send a message to people of all times and places.

Indeed, the Lord has judged, is judging, and will judge the ends of the earth. All things lie in His hands. He sees and knows and understands all and can therefore judge perfectly. He will do so ultimately at the end of time when all things will be made manifest and we shall understand His judgments fully.

When Hannah lifted up her prayer, Israel as yet had no king. The one who would someday appoint that king was her own son who was still a small child. Nonetheless, Hannah speaks confidently that Israel would have a king, and when it did, he would draw his strength from God Himself. Hannah's words would be fulfilled first in David and later, perfectly, in Jesus.

The final phrase of Hannah's prophecy would also find fulfillment in David and especially Jesus. God would raise up the power of His anointed. David was anointed as king by Samuel and given power to reign as king over Israel. Jesus, too, was anointed, only by the Holy Spirit directly at His Baptism, and of course, He was and is the most powerful of kings, for He is God incarnate.

Hannah could not have known any of this, yet she spoke with confidence. God would do exactly as He promised; Hannah was certain of that, and she would always praise Him for it.

(1 Samuel 2:10 – NSRV-CE)

Hannah's Prayer: God's Control

Hannah's experiences have taught her something important about who is really in control of the world and of individual lives: God.

God knows all, Hannah proclaims. He weighs the actions of every person; nothing is hidden from Him. And because of Him, because of the knowledge He has and the decisions He makes, individual lives can change in the blink of an eye.

Mighty and arrogant ones fall. Weak ones become strong. Those who had plenty suddenly have nothing. Those who had nothing suddenly have much. The barren woman becomes the mother of many children. The mother of many children languishes as her children are taken from her.

And this is all God's doing. He knows exactly what to do and when to do it that each person may have exactly what he or she needs when he or she needs it. Sometimes God's actions may not feel good. They may hurt. They may seem evil and horrible to the person affected, but they never are. God always does what is best for His people even when He must discipline and correct them, even when they must suffer in order to learn and grow.

Indeed, as Hannah says, the Lord takes life and gives it, brings low and raises up, and He knows what He's doing every single time. He is in control; He is our Rock; and we must trust Him completely.

(1 Samuel 2:1-8 – NRSV-CE)

Lost Prayers #9

To the Risen Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament

O Lord Jesus Christ! The magnificence of Thy works shines so brightly, that we are compelled to give glory to Thy name everywhere and at all times.

We believed in Thee, when Thou didst show Thyself a weak babe in the crib of Bethlehem; there was a mysterious power that attracted us, and with the Angels we adored Thee, wrapt in Thy humble swathing bands.

When we saw Thee hanging on the cross, outraged and blasphemed by a whole people, we still acknowledged Thee to be our king, and said to Thee with the good thief: Remember us, O Lord! when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom.

But now that Thou hast triumphed over death and art risen gloriously from the tomb; now that the whole earth resounds with Thy praise, and the tidings of Thy resurrection fill all nations with gladness, as fresh as though Thy triumph were but of yesterday; who should refuse to confess Thy divinity, adore Thy mysteries, and cry out with Thy disciple: my Lord and my God!

Though my eyes see Thee not; though my hands cannot touch Thy sacred wounds, yet do I most firmly believe Thee to be my Lord and my God.

Thou has said: Happy they that have not seen and have believed: of these happy believers I would be one, O Jesus!

I confess that Thou hast verily risen, the Son of God, and the Son of man.

I believe also that Thou art the living bread come down from heaven to give life to the world, and that I am really kneeling in Thy holy presence.

When Thou didst visit Thy Apostles on the day of Thy resurrection, Thou saidst to them: It is I; fear not!

The same words, Thou speakest to my soul at this moment; Thou biddest me fear not at the sight of Thy majesty in the tabernacle, and mine own misery and unworthiness.

The soul of Magdalen was melting within her, when she was at Thy tomb and heard the sound of Thy voice; and throwing herself at Thy feet she could say nothing, but call Thee Master.

And I, dear Jesus! My Master! I who not only hear Thy voice for a moment, but kneel in Thy very presence for hours, nay, receive Thee into my heart in holy communion, what do I say to Thee?

The disciples of Emmaus had but a short conversation with Thee, and they said to each other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst He spoke in that way?

And thou, my heart, why art thou not consumed with love for thy risen Saviour, Who is so near to thee?

O risen Jesus! Thou didst take Magdalen's love; Thou didst encourage that of Thy disciples; deign to inspire me with the same love.

I belonged to Thee, O Jesus, because I was redeemed by Thee: I am Thine now because Thou hast restored life to me by Thy resurrection, and because of Thy sacramental presence amongst us, and by Thy coming to me in holy communion, Thou hast made me a partaker in all the glory of Thy victory over death.

O Jesus! Let this most holy Sacrament be to me a pledge of my own future resurrection, and of my eternal and perfect union with Thee in heaven.

(From Manual of Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 1897)

Hannah's Prayer: Exultation

Hannah is on top of the world. She has just brought her dear little son, the child for whom she had prayed so long, to Shiloh to Eli the priest. Little Samuel would now serve the Lord, fulfilling the promise she had made before he was conceived. Hannah's prayers have been answered, and now she would uphold her end of the bargain.

We might think that a mother would be upset to leave her son behind, sorrowful to be far away from him much of the year, but Hannah realizes that she is giving Samuel the best possible gift. He will now belong to God, and God will care for him perfectly.

So Hannah cries out in joy: “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.”

The Hebrew in this verse offers some important clues to the deep meaning of Hannah's prayer. The first verb, translated here as “exults,” is alats, and it does mean “to exult” but also “to rejoice” or even “to triumph.” Hannah's joy knows no bounds because it is a response to God and His work in her life. Her whole being, all the strength she has, rises up to God. The verb here is rum, and while “is exalted” serves nicely as a translation, the word also includes shades of offering and triumph. Hannah presents herself to God yet again, completely, joyfully, triumphantly.

What's more, Hannah's enemies no longer have power over her. God has answered her prayers; He is in control. She merely has to look down and smile upon those who once opposed her. In fact, the verb translated here as “derides” is rachab, and it means simply “to enlarge.” Hannah opens her mouth, perhaps to deride those who tormented her or perhaps simply to show them her great satisfaction.

She can do this because she rejoices in her victory. The verb for “rejoice” here is samach, and it emphasizes the sheer gladness and pleasure that Hannah is experiencing because God has answered her prayers.

Indeed, Hannah's heart overflows with exultation, and her prayer expresses her joy in the God Who has so graciously heard her and given her her heart's desire.

(1 Samuel 2:1 – NRSV-CE; Hebrew words from Biblehub.com)

Lost Prayers #8

Chaplet of the Twelve Stars

All praise and thanksgiving be to Thee, ever blessed Trinity! Who hath manifested to us Mary, ever Virgin, clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a mystic crown of twelve stars. For ever and ever. Amen.

Let us praise and give thanks to God the Father, Who chose her for His daughter. Amen. Our Father.

Praise be to God the Father, Who predestined her to be the Mother of His Son. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Father, Who saved her from all stain in her conception. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Father, Who, on her birthday, adorned her with His choicest gifts. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Father, Who gave her St. Joseph for her pure spouse and companion. Amen. Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father.

Let us praise and give thanks to God the Son, Who chose her for His Mother. Amen. Our Father.

Praise be to God the Son Who became incarnate in her womb, and dwelt there for nine months. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Son, Who was born of her and nourished with her milk. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Son, Who, in His childhood, willed that Mary should teach Him. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to God the Son, Who revealed to her the mysteries of the redemption of the world. Amen. Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father.

Let us praise and give thanks to God the Holy Ghost, Who made her His spouse. Amen. Our Father.

Praise be to God the Holy Ghost, Who first revealed to her His name of Holy Ghost. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to the Holy Ghost, through Whose operation she was at once Virgin and Mother. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to the Holy Ghost, through Whom she became the living temple of the most holy Trinity. Amen. Hail Mary.

Praise be to the Holy Ghost, by Whom she was exalted in heaven high above all creatures. Amen. Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father.

For the holy Catholic Church, for the propagation of the faith, for peace among Christian princes and for the uprooting of all heresy.

Hail holy Queen! Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope; to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary!

(From Manual of Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 1897)

Notes from the Hours: Light and Humility

In today's Office of Readings, we encounter the following antiphon between the psalms and the readings:

When we listen to Your word, our minds are filled with light.

It is the lowly heart that understands.

God's word does indeed fill our minds with light. In the Scriptures, God reveals Himself to us. He shows us Who He is (at least as much as we can understand) and what He has planned for our salvation. He explains how He prepared a people for Himself through the centuries, and then He tells us how He Himself came as a human being like us both to show us how to live in this world and then to die that we might live with Him eternally in Heaven. We learn how much God loves us and the lengths He is willing to go so that we might be all His for all time.

But to truly understand the Scriptures, we must humble ourselves. We must be open to God's word, allowing it to speak to us rather than imposing our preconceived notions upon it. What's more, we should ask God to guide us as we interact with His word that He may send the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit by which the Scriptures were inspired, to teach us what we need to know.

If we allow ourselves to be led, we will discover that we understand God's word more deeply than we ever thought we could, and even more importantly, we will meet God in it as He speaks to our hearts and fills our minds with His brilliant light.

Hannah's Prayer: Outpouring of the Heart

Hannah felt like her heart was breaking. She had been married for quite a long time, but she still had no children. Her husband, Elkanah, loved her, but even that wasn't enough, especially since he had taken another wife in order to have an heir. Hannah just wanted a baby of her own, so she did the only thing she knew to do: she took her request to God.

But she did not present her prayer in any formal, stiff fashion. Instead, she wept and poured her whole heart out before the Lord, vowing that if He gave her her heart's desire, a male child, she would give him back to God. She would dedicate her son to His service for life. That, Hannah believed, was the greatest gift she could give both the child and God.

As Hannah continued to pray, her voice faded away. Her lips moved as her heart cried to God. Her whole body became wrapped up in her plea, so much so that to the priest Eli, she looked as though she'd had too much wine.

When Eli confronted her, Hannah was quick to explain. “No, my lord,” she respectfully assured the priest, “I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.”

Hannah gave her entire self to God in prayer, heart, soul, mind, spirit, thoughts, words, actions, everything, and she did so with complete trust that God would hear her and graciously grant her desire. Indeed He did. God remembered Hannah, just as she requested, and nine months later, she gave birth to a little boy, Samuel.

(1 Samuel 1, NRSV-CE)