Reading I
1 Sm 1:9-20
Hannah rose after a meal at Shiloh,
and presented herself before the LORD;
at the time, Eli the priest was sitting on a chair
near the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.
In her bitterness she prayed to the LORD, weeping copiously,
and she made a vow, promising: “O LORD of hosts,
if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid,
if you remember me and do not forget me,
if you give your handmaid a male child,
I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives;
neither wine nor liquor shall he drink,
and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
As she remained long at prayer before the LORD,
Eli watched her mouth, for Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.
Eli, thinking her drunk, said to her,
“How long will you make a drunken show of yourself?
Sober up from your wine!”
“It isn’t that, my lord,” Hannah answered.
“I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne’er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”
Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She replied, “Think kindly of your maidservant,” and left.
She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband,
and no longer appeared downcast.
Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD,
and then returned to their home in Ramah.
When Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah,
the LORD remembered her.
She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
Gospel
Mk 1:21-28
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Meditation: 1 Samuel 1:9-20
I was only pouring out my troubles to the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:15)
Year after year, Hannah went on a pilgrimage to Shiloh, the sanctuary of the Lord. And year after year, Peninnah, her husband’s other wife, mocked her because she had no children. This year was no different. But unlike other years, this time Hannah turned to the Lord and poured out her heart to him.
To the priest Eli, Hannah looked drunk as she stood there, tears streaming down her face as her lips made silent prayers to the Lord. He couldn’t tell that she was telling God all about her sorrow and misery, and begging him for the child she so deeply desired. Eli upbraided her, only to learn Hannah’s true state. His heart softened, and probably somewhat embarrassed, Eli reassured Hannah that God would help her. And sure enough, Hannah became pregnant not long after this and bore a son, Samuel.
When was the last time you poured out your heart to the Lord in such a dramatic fashion? Or are you reluctant to tell him all your woes in such detail? Perhaps you feel that you’re supposed to be strong and accept everything with a stiff upper lip or that it’s presumptuous to ask God to grant your petitions.
Don’t let these objections stop you! Take Hannah as your model. Go ahead and tell the Lord what’s on your mind—even if you are upset with him about your situation. You won’t offend him, and you won’t get him angry enough to turn away from you. He already knows what’s in your heart—better than you do! It’s good to get these things out in the open. That’s the only way you can begin to experience God’s healing touch.
Are you carrying a burden that you’d like to talk over with the Lord? Then do it! Carve out some extra time when you can lay everything before him. Tell him exactly how you feel. And be sure to listen carefully to what God says to you. We can’t predict how he will answer you. But we are certain that you will come out of this prayer time with more hope and greater confidence in God.
“Lord, you know all my deepest desires and fears. I turn to you today, trusting that you will hear my prayer and answer me.”
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