Sunday Homily, December 30, 2012, Holy Family C
Readings:
1 Samuel 1, 20-28, Hannah conceived and bore a son whom she called Samuel.
Psalm 84, Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
1 John 3, 1-2, 21-24, We are God’s children.
Luke 2, 41-52, After 3 days they found him in the temple.
Samuel observations: who, when, what, our passage with a story
Who:
–about whom: Samuel, the last judge ruler of the Israelites and the first of the Big Three, that is, Samuel, Saul, and The Great King David, a fascinating Old Testament character.
–by whom: not written by Samuel, but a compilation of numerous sources.
When: The Samuel figure lived around 1000 years before Christ. As far as being put together into a unit, being familiar as you are with the Big Three Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, when they did their prophet job, and the influence of the Babylonian Captivity, around 600-550, yes, you are right if you guess that the work apparently was assembled at this same time. The Jewish leaders were attempting to preserve their community as a tribe-nation.
What: a Jewish history lesson, fantasized greatly, and attempting to give a divinely chosen character to the Israelites’ heredity. Originally there were two books, Samuel and Kings. Now there are 4. How come? A simple answer.
Originally, it seems, Samuel was one scroll written in Hebrew. It was translated into Greek. Hebrew has no vowels and therefore takes up less space. Greek has vowels. Therefore, two scrolls were needed to write out the book of Samuel and thus it became Samuel I and II. Sort of amusingly simple.
The Story: (chapter 1)
The 4 characters: Samuel’s mom, Hannah; her husband Elkanah; Elkanah’s second wife, Peninnah; & the temple priest, Eli.
There was this man, Elkanah, who lived with his two wives in Ramah. He loved them both. Over the years Peninnah had numerous children, but Hannah had none. Despite this, Elkanah had a special love for Hannah.
Peninnah used to laugh at and mock Hannah, who became depressed, often would not eat, and cried a lot.
One day Hannah was in the temple crying over her inability to have children. At one point she promised that if she had a son, she would dedicate him to God’s service. She continued to pray, mouthing her prayer silently.
Eli, the priest, was sitting in the back of the temple watching Hannah. He thinks she is drunk and scolds her, “Stop making a drunken spectacle of yourself. Stop your drinking and sober up.”
Hannah, of course, is mortified and defends herself, saying she has no children and is miserable. Eli believes her and tells her to go in peace and may God give you what you ask.
Guess what happens….
Sources: Good News Bible, New Interpreter's Study Bible, Bible Gateway.com, Wikipedia
The Family
This morning I would like to say a few words about the family, especially in connection with what happened in Newtown, CT.
When the news first hit me, like millions of others, I think I was in denial, then angry, then in tears. As time went on I would occasionally hear or see some snippet of news asking the question why this boy went off like he did. Everyone seemed perplexed by this.
When I thought more, taking into my experience as a priest and with psychology, I kept thinking, this is not difficult. I see three factors: nurture, nature, and environment. And maybe all three together. This is how it touches us. Let me explain each one.
Nurture. I immediately asked myself, what did he not get that he needed to grow up balanced. What basic needs were not met? What did I need, what did you need growing up? I would propose 4 things, affection, acceptance, encouragement, and training. I would include time here, too, though it is assumed with the first three.
What happens when I do not have these needs attended to, the result? I am hurt. How does hurt often manifest? Anger.
Nature. This is a tough one. Psychological disorder. I have seen young kids who probably were getting nurture, but were out of control, impulsive, even violent. The result: anger.
Modern medication can certainly help a young person with such a disorder. Sometimes it just does not work.
Environment. This obviously involves the home atmosphere. But it includes extended family, school, and neighborhood. A lot of abuse can take place at school. Bullying. Result: hurt. Manifestation: anger.
Also under environment I would include what is offered on TV, electronic games, and news from other tragedies. Who right now are the young people out there who want to emulate Newtown or Columbine? The example is contagious for a kid.
What has this got to do with you and me? It has this to do with you and me: we are family. We can nurture, whether we are parents, grandparents, teachers, mentors, coaches, scout leaders.
One of the people who nurtured me in 7th & 8th grade was Frank Hart, my old coach, scout leader, and teacher. We are still close friends.
We as a Catholic spiritual community have the honor and privilege of nurturing all the marvelous kids who join with us on Sunday mornings. May they take away a positive image of themselves from their time here. May they take with them an image of an affectionate and accepting God.
Affection, acceptance, encouragement, training. For whom are you doing this today?