It is 12th January 2016. The readings are from 1Samuel 1:9-20; and the Gospel from Mark 1:21-28. The first reading describes the plight and desperation of Hanna to request the Lord to consider her tears. People around us can tease, mock, be rude and ignore our prayers filled with tears. But not with the Lord who hears our prayer in God’s time and holds every single drop of tears. The priest Eli too misunderstood her at the first encounter. God heard her prayers and rewarded with a son whom she named Samuel. What we have witnessed in the life of Hannah is the power of prayer. Prayer with insistent faith rewards us. We need to speak to the Lord about our insults, misunderstanding, and bitterness. God has enough time and attention we require; do we have enough to present our situation to the Lord? The responsorial Psalm praises the Lord, “My heart exults in the Lord.” (1 Sam.2:1). The Gospel highlights the power of Jesus and the eloquence of Jesus. Jesus spoke with the authority He gained through His personal communion and experience with God. On the contrary, the rabbi prayed invoking his personal name not that of God. The demons are scared of Jesus because of Him as the person of communication with the Father and as a divine person. May the world recognise us through our prayer life and personal communion with God. May God be pleased with our personal prayers.