January 14, 2018

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time B 1 Samuel 3: 3-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6: 1-15, 17-20; John 1: 35-42 Did Christmas and the surroundings, customs and festivities bring me closer to the Lord? Did I realize that God was with me in a special way? Did I somehow feel that I was important to God and He’s calling me to ‘come higher?’ Did I realize my importance to God? Did the Christmas season keep me excited about my faith? The first reading describes the call of the prophet Samuel. He also was considered the last ‘judge’ of Israel. The Judges reminded the people of the necessity to follow God’s laws as given in the Ten Commandments and to keep justice among the tribes of Israel before the establishment of the monarchy. Samuel also anointed Saul as King and then anointed David as king. Today’s passage sounds like a cute little story, but it is not. It is a powerful story describing Samuels’ call as a prophet and refers to the call that each of us received in Baptism and Confirmation where we were anointed with sacred oil and became ‘anointed ones’ for God with a special mission. Today’s passage shows how long it took Eli to recognize the call of Samuel by God. Perhaps this is because Samuel was sent by God to condemn the house of Eli because his sons had committed sacrilege. Today’s passage ends with verse 10, the following verses describe God’s call to Samuel: “The Lord said to Samuel: ‘I am about to do something in Israel that will cause the ears of everyone who hears it to ring. On that day I will carry out in full against Eli everything I threatened against his family. I announce to him that I am condemning his family once and for all, because of this crime: though he knew his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them. Therefore, I swear to the family of Eli that no sacrifice or offering will ever expiate its crime. “ Then Samuel sleeps until morning and was afraid to tell Eli the vision. He finally did and Eli said, “He is the Lord. He will do what He judges best.” Then today’s passage ends with, “Samuel grew up, and Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.” The people accepted Samuel as an accredited prophet of the Lord. Samuel was called; each of us are called to be Christ’s to our world. Each of our calls is unique corresponding to the gifts and abilities given us by the Holy Spirit to touch others He places in our lives, to touch them with love, care, hope and an awareness of God’s love. How am I doing with the call I received from God? Paul reminds the faithful in Corinth of the great privilege they enjoy: Jesus redeemed them through His Death and Resurrection. Jesus has redeemed each of us. Do we act and live as if we have been redeemed? Jesus’ name means ‘God saves’. Jesus came to rescue us from all those evil forces within and outside us that keep us from being the kind of people that God wants and needs us to be. Jesus came to reconcile us to the God and heal our brokenness and thus renew all creation. Salvation entails the healing of broken relationships that keep us alienated from God and the people in our lives. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have won eternal life for us: our sins are forgiven and eternal life has been promised if we follow the commandments and live our life of faith in God, trusting in His grace to be people of love. Jesus’ resurrection is the promise of our own eternal life with God. The Gospel presents John’s story of the call of the first disciples. It is very different from the synoptic writers. One different aspect is that it directs John the Baptist’s followers to now follow after Jesus since He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Today John is standing with two of his disciples and points to Jesus as the ‘lamb of God.’ This title describes the image of the paschal lamb whose blood was placed on the door posts in Egypt thus the lamb’s death and blood saved the Israelites. These two followed Jesus and asked a somewhat simple question, “Where are You staying?” This question has a literal side — exactly where are you spending the night? It also has a deeper level concerning the theological level — which reflects the deeper meaning of what discipleship really entails. Putting this together…a real follower of Jesus seeks God by following Jesus. Jesus goes from place to place preaching so the invitation involves always being ready to ‘be Jesus’ everyplace we go. In responding ‘Yes’ as Mary did we will see what it means to follow Jesus with God’s love. Andrew shows us how far we need to go: we cannot keep hidden the life of Jesus, we must exemplify it in our lives and also encourage others to follow the Jesus Way with their lives. The call to discipleship is the faith conviction that Jesus is the Messiah; faith is the key component. Do I trust God? Do I have faith? The readings bring out some salient points that can help us in our faith journey. Samuel hears a voice in the night calling his name and he thinks it is the old priest Eli. It takes him three times to recognize that it is God calling. Why didn’t Eli realize this? Maybe he was so disappointed with his sons disregard for God that he was doubting his own example and faith. When the disciples first saw Jesus walking along the shore they were somehow drawn to Him…they wanted to get to know Him more. The invitation, “Come and see” opened up new horizons and wonders and excitement galore. This is like our lives: we have excitements then we have the normal ho-hum of an ordinary and sometimes boring life. We have moments of closeness to God and moments that we can’t find Him. We have moving sacramental experiences and then we question so much. It’s the day-to-day living out our promises as husband and wife, priest, deacon or religious or single in the different relationships of our daily lives that shapes our vocation to and with God. Following Jesus means that we have love for one another and live differently because we strive to live the life of Jesus. Living the Word summed it up this way: According to St. Francis de Sales, we carry the Lord on our tongues, recounting His deeds and praising Him. We carry Him in our hearts with tender love and affection. But these two ways do not amount to much unless we carry the Lord in our arms by living the ways of God clearly and concretely. Listen for God’s voice. Contemplate what you hear. Then share the fruits of your contemplation by living Jesus so clearly that others point to you and say, ‘Behold, a follower of Christ, the Lamb of God!’” So I reflect on: • How do I listen for and reflect on God’s will in my life? • What in my life leads others to point and say, ‘Behold, a follower of Jesus Christ?’ • Every vocation is a call to the fullness of love. Am I living in this way? • How do I carry out my Baptismal promises? My Confirmation promises? • How often do I invite others to join me in the Eucharist, prayer group, scripture sharing? An invitation costs us nothing. • Do I live in such a way that people recognize the Spirit moving within me? Sacred Space 2018 says: “Andrew and his companion set aside their day to be in Jesus’ company. Impressed, they decided to be HIs followers. When we meet a new person, we must first give ourselves a chance to get to know them. Then, if we like what we see, we are attracted by everything they stand for. Do we give Jesus a chance in our busy lives so that the attraction of His person can work on us?”