January 18, 2015

2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B

1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6: 13-15, 17-20; John 1:35-42

It is now the beginning of the third week of the New Year. No doubt many have made ‘resolutions’ and probably many of them have been broken. Each person hopes they know where they are going and have a plan of action to get there. This ‘plan’ concerns family, work, travel, retirement, just keeping up with the bills, relationships, even church and living a daily life that is motivated not on self but on a concern for those who are important in one’s life. Most know that there must be time spent with the unknown: why am I here; why was I created; is there a God, heaven and hell, how am I living my life accordingly? For the most part we ‘put these thoughts off’ thinking that we will have plenty of time later to work these out. But God is concerned with the ‘now’…the future is now…God is present in the now…and God is helping (gracing) each and every person now to make the right decisions and choose the right directions that bring them in touch with Him, His teachings and His love. The reality is that no one knows the future so the future is the now.

Long ago there was a radio show, The Shadow, which had a constant refrain, “Only the Shadow knows.” Well God knows and has interacted in my life and continues to do so and also does this in each person’s life. Do I pay attention? Do I want to pay attention? Am I afraid to be attentive to God? Do I let God lead me to a more complete experience of His love? The readings help me today in realizing that to become a follower of Jesus and answer God’s call means more than keeping the commandments. It means that my life is directed to waiting and listening for the direction and assistance of God and letting Him lead me according to His plan.

Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, as the people were ‘wandering’ in the desert. After their arrival in the Promised Land, Joshua let the tribes begin ruling in a loose configuration. Then came the centralized state forged by David and Solomon. The major figure in this period of change was Samuel. He was a prophet and a strong religious leader as well as the most important political voice of the late eleventh century B.C. Did he know this would happen? No, God knew because God had a plan. His father was Elkanah who had two wives, Peninnah, who had children and Hannah who was childless. Because of this Hannah was verbally abused. She would cry and refuse to eat. She went to Eli the priest and in bitterness prayed to the Lord and make a vow promising if she had a son she would give him to the Lord. The Lord heard her prayer and she conceived. Hannah nursed him until she had weaned him at which time she brought him to Eli at the temple of the Lord in Shiloh. Did she have any idea what would happen to Samuel? No, but God had a plan.

We hear the plan in the first reading when God called Samuel. Did Samuel at this young age have any idea what God was calling him for…No, but God had a plan. Samuel developed into both a priest and seer. After a while, the Philistines forces came and destroyed the Israel’s forces and captured the Ark of the Covenant. The people begged Samuel to give them a king ‘as other nations have’. Samuel warns them of the dangers of giving so much power to one person, but they insist and eventually God gives. Saul becomes that King, but that ultimately wasn’t God’s plan. Did Saul know that? No. Did Samuel know that? No. Then God sends Samuel to rectify this fatal mistake and Samuel anoints David as king. Did Samuel know what would happen...No, but God had a plan? At the beginning at his call, Samuel listened and was attentive to God, “Here I am, You called me.” Eli told him to respond in this way, “Speak, Lord for your servant is listening.”

God has a plan for me and for each person. Do I know what it is…No…do I try to live my life each day and be attentive to God? I try, but I need to be reminded that it is about God and not me; today’s scriptures help.

Psalm 40 is entitled a psalm of Gratitude and a Prayer for Help, it starts, “”I waited, waited for the Lord; who bent down and heard my cry…happy are those who trust in the Lord…and in Your plans for us there is none to equal You…sacrifice and offering You do not want; but ears open to obedience You gave me…You are my help and deliverer; my God, do not delay!” This is a psalm that I need to pray very often; I’m reminding myself of that today. God has a plan for me as He did for Eli, Elkanah, Hannah, Samuel, David…

The Gospel picks up the narrative of Jesus shortly after His baptism. John the Baptist encourages Andrew and an unnamed companion who were his disciples to go after Jesus and become acquainted with Him. I’m sure they thought that ‘We like you…why should we leave.’ But God had a plan they didn’t know about. Now John’s sole purpose in preaching was to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. No doubt, Andrew and his companion had probably become comfortable in their relationships with John. They like him. They admired the courage of his preaching. They sensed that he was a holy person, a prophet. They enjoyed being in his select circle of friends. But God had a plan they didn’t know about. God has a plan I don’t know about. It is found in the responsibility I have to proclaim Christ by my words and actions.

Brian Maloney OFM says, “The story of call and response is repeated in the life of each sincere Christian. To answer God’s call means more than keeping the commandments. It means that one’s life is directed to waiting and listening for the guidance of God. It means saying to the Lord, as Andrew did, ‘Rabbi, where do you live?’ ‘Where can I spend some time in your company?’ To become a disciple of Christ, we must have a listening heart. If we are truly to be His disciples, we have to sit at His feet every day. It must become our life. We must make sure we stay until the Lord speaks, and when we listen, we will start doing God’s will, instead of doing our own.”

I reflect on:

• There is too much information running through my brain! When am I still and quiet?
• And Jesus said, “Come and see.”
• What does Jesus invite His potential followers to see?
• Andrew only asked to see where Jesus was staying. At that time, that’s how disciples entered the school of a master teacher, by literally going to live with Him. Ancient teachers taught a lifestyle, not just a lesson. If one wanted ‘in’ on the lesson, one had to surrender entirely to the process. Am I open to ‘come and seeing’ and allowing God to show His plan for me?

A prayer from Sacred Space 2015:

“Lord, may I grow in spiritual awareness. Bless me with a clear sense of my call. Make me sensitive to the action of Your Spirit. Give me freedom to witness to You in my current situation.”