First reading 1 Samuel 1:24-28
This is the child I prayed for: he is made over to the Lord.
When Hannah had weaned the infant Samuel, she took him up with her together with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’
There she left him, for the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8
Gospel Luke 1:46-56
The Almighty has done great things for me
Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my saviour;
because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.
Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm,
he has routed the proud of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy
– according to the promise he made to our ancestors –
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.
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Magnificat
In today’s gospel, we hear Mary’s Magnificat, a song of praise that shares a strong message about what God’s coming truly means. Mary shows us that God’s arrival is not just gentle or sentimental. It is transformative, disruptive, and revolutionary. God notices the lowly. God lifts up the forgotten. God reaches out to those on the margins first. This is the important “reversal” at the heart of the Gospel: while people honour power, God honours humility; while society celebrates the successful, God celebrates the small, the broken, and the overlooked.
Today, we are invited to recognise God’s ongoing work in our lives and in our world. Even now, God continues to turn things upside down, revealing injustice, challenging pride, supporting those who suffer in silence, and bringing hope to those who feel overwhelmed by life. This Advent, may Mary’s song become ours: a song of hope, courage, and a song that helps us welcome the God who turns the world—and our own lives—upside down.
Reflective question:
How can I allow Christ to reorder my priorities, relationships and attitudes?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
