REMEMBERING GOD - C: Feast of the Holy Family

First Reading: 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28 (26 December 2021)

“As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the Lord, and remain there forever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time” (1 Sam 1:22).

These are the words of Hannah to her husband Elkanah after Samuel was born. She was resolute in offering her son to God, to be dedicated to him as his servant, which her husband readily agreed. It should be remembered that Hannah had been barren since her union with Elkanah (vv. 2, 5). Adding harm to injury was the other wife of Elkanah, Peninnah, who would mock her for her barrenness (vv. 6-7), while she was blessed with many sons and daughters (v. 4).

Hannah’s days then were miserable. Despite being loved more by her husband (v. 5), she continued to be pained by the fact that she was childless. For this reason, she would frequent God’s shrine in Shiloh. There, “[s]he was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: ‘O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me.... I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death” (vv. 10-11). Her persistency earned her God’s favor for, soon enough, “the Lord remembered her” (v. 19), miraculously giving her a son amid her desperate condition.

Here, God showed that he truly remembers those who entrust themselves to him as what happened to Hannah.

Afterwards, it was not only God who remembered as Hannah also remembered to thank him and fulfill her vow. Thus, “[s]he brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was young” (v. 24). Instead of being remorseful, she was very happy with her act of gratitude to God, saying: “Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord” (v. 28). Later, she even exalted him for allowing her to be blessed with a son in spite of her unworthiness, singing: “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God.... He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap” (2:1, 8).

By and large, the whole trajectory of Elkanah’s family’s relationship to God is a dynamic of remembering. In Elkanah and Hannah’s dire predicament of longing for an offspring, God remembered to bless the couple with a son, who would be named Samuel. The names of the members of this family speak a lot about God’s goodness. Etymologically, Elkanah is derived from the Hebrew word ’el (“God”) and qānah (“created”), while Hannah comes from ḥanā which means “to have compassion.”

In this regard, their names indicate that it was really God who initiated the action of blessing the couple by pitying and gifting them with a child.

Meanwhile, the name Samuel is either based on the Hebrew words shem (“name”) or shemu/shamah “to be high, exalted.” Thus, shemu’el can mean “the name of God” or “to exalt God”. Regardless, the name Samuel simply tells that all glory should be given back to God, which was really the case when Hannah brought Samuel to the priest Eli. Incidentally, the name Eli means “my God,” which solidifies the whole cycle of remembering-blessing-thanksgiving.

The Filipino culture features the oft forgotten or misinterpreted value of utang na loob, i.e., indebted goodness. Yet, the biblical economy of salvation really functions in this way, wherein we must return to God all glory for all the successes enjoyed in life. When wrongly applied to human relations, utang na loob may go south and even turn into corruption or nepotism. However, in relation to God, it always keeps the cycle of grace rolling.

Sure enough, when we thank God, he will always remember us amid any misery or suffering in life.

- Rex Fortes, CM