St. Joseph of the Lakes

As much as I admire the skill and the theological integrity of the composers of the Lectionary, there are times I wish they would give some background to the characters they want us to focus on. I will come back to this thought in a couple of sentences. I call those who put the Lectionary together “composers” since they were the ones who selected the varied scriptural citations and organized them into the book we use at all Masses and other liturgical events. The composers have put together two different Lectionaries. One is for Sunday Masses and it divides the bible stories in such a way that we hear most of the bible in three years. (Year A: Matthew; Year B: Mark and John; Year C: Luke). The second is put together for weekdays. It is divided into a two-year cycle, so that we will hear most of the bible at daily Masses in two years. The Gospel stories organize the rest of the Lectionary. They are read in serial fashion so that each week we hear the continuation of the story of Jesus told by a particular Gospel writer.

This week in the first reading we are introduced to Samuel the prophet. There are two books in the Old Testament that are named for him, since they concern his story. The back story I wish the composers would have somehow included is that Samuel’s mother Hannah had been childless for quite some time. Her husband Elkanah had two wives. The other wife Peninnah had several children; yet she was jealous of Hannah because Elkanah liked her more and she would remind Hannah of her barrenness to shame her. Each year Elkanah would take his family to Shiloh, where the temple of the Lord was located, to offer sacrifices to God. On one occasion Hannah stood in the Temple and prayed silently that God would deliver her from her barrenness. She makes a promise that if God delivers her from this shame, she will give the child to God for the whole of his life. They return to their home in Ramah and Hannah conceives a son. She names him Samuel since she asked God for him. When Samuel is weaned, he is brought to Shiloh with his family and Hannah gives him to Eli the priest of the temple. From that point on Samuel lives at the temple. Today’s story tells us that he was asleep in the temple where the ark of God was kept. It is there he receives his call from God.