Daily Readings - Sun Dec 26 2021

²⁰So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."²¹When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow,²²Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always."²⁴After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.²⁵When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli,²⁶and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.²⁷I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.²⁸So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

1 John

Chapter 3

¹How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.²Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.²¹Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God²²and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.²³And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.²⁴Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Luke

Chapter 2

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."⁴⁹"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and living out God's will in our lives. In the first reading, Hannah dedicates her son Samuel to the Lord, fulfilling her promise to return him to God. This act of faith and gratitude highlights her deep trust in God's plan, despite the personal sacrifice it entails. Similarly, in the Gospel, Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, where He is engaged in discussions with the teachers. Jesus' response, "I must be about my Father's business," underscores His dedication to His divine mission from a young age. The second reading from 1 John bridges these narratives by emphasizing our identity as children of God and the commandments to believe in Jesus and love one another. This love and belief are not passive but active, guiding our actions and decisions. Just as Hannah and Mary trusted in God's plan, we are called to live out our faith with similar dedication and love. In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to reflect on our own commitment to God. Are we dedicating our lives to His will, even when it requires sacrifice? Do we trust in His plan, even when the path is uncertain? Let us strive to live as children of God, filled with love and faith, and may our actions reflect His presence in our lives.