Daily Readings - Sun Dec 29 2024

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

In today's readings, we encounter powerful stories of faith, dedication, and spiritual growth. The first reading from 1 Samuel tells the story of Hannah, who, after years of barrenness, prays fervently for a son and promises to dedicate him to the Lord. When her prayer is answered, she faithfully keeps her vow, bringing Samuel to the temple to serve God. This act of surrender and trust in God's plan is a testament to her deep faith. The second reading from 1 John reminds us of our identity as children of God and the love the Father has bestowed upon us. It emphasizes the importance of living according to God's commandments and loving one another. This passage encourages us to have confidence in God, knowing that when our hearts are aligned with His will, He hears our prayers and guides us. The Gospel from Luke recounts the story of the young Jesus in the temple. After being separated from His parents, Jesus is found engaged in deep theological discussions, astonishing the scholars with His wisdom. When His parents express their concern, Jesus responds by affirming His divine mission, saying, "I must be in my Father's house." This moment highlights Jesus' dedication to His Father's will and His growth in wisdom and grace. These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Hannah, we are called to trust in God's plan and surrender our lives to Him. Like the believers in 1 John, we are reminded to live out our faith by loving one another and keeping God's commandments. And like the young Jesus, we are encouraged to grow in wisdom and grace, staying attuned to God's will for our lives. May we, like Mary, treasure these words in our hearts and allow them to shape our journey of faith.