2019-01-15 - Samuel, Hannah, Man Born Blind

Kevin O'Brien January 15, 2019

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Ryan B.January 15, 2019 at 3:53 PM
So, I typed up all these reflections before your email with the video came through, so I'll leave them mostly as they were, with a few additions.

1 Samuel 1
First off, Hannah's situation reminded me of Rachel's back in Genesis 30, but on a deeper level she reminded me of Jacob struggling with letting Benjamin go to Egypt with his brothers. While Jacob is hesitant to risk his favorite son, Hannah pledges her son's life to God before he is even conceived. The parallels with Isaac that you mention are fascinating, as is that Rabbinical tradition regarding Samuel.

Psalm 17
Verses 14 and 15 seem to me to support the idea that God punishes the wicked in this life by letting them do whatever they want. David prays here that men who care only for the things of this world will be "filled with what you have stored up with them," while he himself is content to "behold [the Lord's] face in righteousness. Then again, he doesn't specify what the Lord has "stored up for them," he could be referring to earthly ruin.

Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7
Nothing other than what I have previously observed stood out to me, but rereading it did help me to better understand who is speaking when. Also, it was easier to appreciate the beauty of the verses when having analyzed them previously.

John 9
One thing this scene reminds me of is the conversion of St. Paul. Both he and the blind man are confronted by the Light of the World (a blinding Light to St. Paul), both have something cover their eyes (mud, scales) and both receive their sight in a way connected to water (bathing in the pool of Siloam, desiring baptism). I wonder what became of this man...

1 Corinthians 1:1-2:5
As Advent began, a little pre-cooked Bible reflection pooped (whoops, totally meant to type popped) up in the bulletin at the local parish, taking verses four to seven of chapter one to deliver a spoonful of sugar about how we shouldn't worry about the areas were we "aren't so great" this Advent--after all, we have every spiritual gift we need! By reading it in context as we're doing, it's easy to see the vast difference between being equipped with every spiritual gift we need and actually using them. The Corinthians, as we're about to find out, have them, but sure haven't been using them. I once went to Mass at the cathedral in Kansas City, MO, where the bishop made an excellent analogy in his homily: Owning gym equipment is fine and dandy, but you won't get fit unless you use it frequently. So too with the spiritual life. We must pray, read Scripture, receive the sacraments, etc. frequently if we want to get to Heaven.
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