Day 7's 1st Reading strongly resonates with me as a mother. Like most girls, my pretend play centered around being a wife and a mother. As I grew older, I did not know the magnitude of my heart's desire until my heart's secret prayer was answered even before I had the courage to speak it.
God gave me my son in a most unexpected way and time. And my world was never the same. I knew that he was a special gift from God and that God has a special purpose for him. So, when I heard the 1st Reading, it was as if the verse spoke my heart.
It is our responsibility, as parents, to mold our children into the likeness of God; and to guide them gently towards the path God has chosen for them, a path that, we must acknowledge, is between God and our children. At some point, "mother knows best" has to take a back seat and we let our children forge their own path, fully trusting that their lives are in God's hands.
That is why when my son asked about our parish's Prayer for vocations, I felt a joyful hope lightly tinged with nervous anticipation (my son is maturing by the day!). It starts with awareness and recognizing the need. And then we nurture --- steadily and daily, so that he translates this into action wholeheartedly. Whatever his calling may be, my wish is that he will always have a heart of service for others.
1 Samuel 1:24-28
24 In those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the Lord in Shiloh. 25 After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli 26 and said: “Pardon, my lord! As you live my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. 28Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” She left Samuel there.
And then, the Magnificat. Mary's Song and my song, too.
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