Sunday Readings in Brief 2 B
1 Samwel 3:3-10.19; Psalms (39)40; 1Corinthianss 6:13-15.17-20 John 1:35-42
My Calling
My dear friends, today is the second Sunday in this short period of Ordinary time that will usher in the Lenten season. During the Ordinary time, the readings take us through the salvation history. Today we learn about the beginning of the ministries of Samuel and Jesus.
In his Book Releasing Your Potential, the late Myles Monroe says that many people live and die without ever discovering their purpose or releasing the potential that God put in them when he created them. This can be due to a myriad of reasons. Some are because of the environment where they were born and brought up for example people who were born in broken families, in the streets, in refugee camps, in war zones, or who lost their parents during their infancy. In normal circumstances, children are supposed to be born in a family with both parents who help them to grow physically, mentally, spiritually, etc. They then take them to school where the teachers help them to discover and nurture their their potential as professionals. However, we know that this is not always the case because of the reasons mentioned above.
Nevertheless, we know that God always cares for his people and calls us from different backgrounds to carry out his mission in the world. In the first reading, we hear about the call of Samuel. This was the time when Eli the high priest was old and blind. His sons were supposed to inherit him in the service at the Temple but instead, they became corrupt and did what was evil before God. It was also a “dry period” in Israel because God had not spoken to his people for a long time. Just like many other prophets, the call of Samuel began with a miraculous birth because his mother Hannah was barren and very old when Samuel was born.
God called Samuel 3 times before he could discern with the help of Eli, that God was calling him and was able to answer the 4th time. Let us say that Samuel was lucky to have been in the right place to get the right advice. All of us need ‘Eli’ in our journey of discernment. The Lord may be calling us many times but because of the confusion and many voices in the world today, we may not immediately realize that it is God calling us. Some people also have been deceived when they seek to discover their calling from the wrong people and places. We have many false prophets who purport to have a direct line to God and can interpret hidden messages from God for every individual if they pay hefty fees.
Many also have been called ‘Eli’ by others. It is evident that many of these ‘Elis’ have lived true to their vocation and have helped many to discern their calling and release their potential. Many of us also benefited from these Elis and became Elis ourselves. However, others have turned into conmen who instead of helping people to discover their call, use them for their selfish ambitions. Though Eli knew that his time in office was over, and he had failed in his sons, he did not mislead young Samuel but rather directed him to say yes to the Lord. Due to insecurities, sometimes we mislead people so that we can protect our positions and ambitions.
The call of Samuel brought new tidings for the people of Israel, and it was during his time that the kingdom was restored to them first through King Saul and King David. The long wait finally bore fruits as the psalmist tells us. If we wait on the Lord, we will not be disappointed. God does not want anything from us in return for his blessings but only a listening ear and a willing heart. Sometimes we think that we can please God with gifts and many words of praise but if we do not pay attention to His words and commit to his mission, our praises and worship are of no use.
St. Paul is reminding us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to keep them clean of all evil that make them unworthy of housing Him. The body is the vehicle for the mission of God in our lives. We need to keep them sober, healthy, and clean. Did you know that jeopardizing your own health is a mortal sin?
Just like Eli, John the Baptist served as an usher and a link between the people and Jesus. John was not hesitant to point to his disciples the messiah that they should follow. Just like Eli, he knew that his mission was completed and it was time for him to fade and for Jesus to take prominence. The disciples of John followed Jesus and he invited them to accompany him so that they could ‘see’ and learn more about him. Jesus did not want to explain to them about his abode on the road but he rather invited them to be with him. It is not easy to understand our calling on the streets and noisy places. We need to take time to stay with Jesus so that we can learn more about his mission.
After we have known Jesus, we must find others and bring them to him just as Andrew did. It is our Christian calling, to share with others what we have discovered from Jesus so that they too can come closer to him and learn for themselves. The Samaritan woman too did the same when he met Jesus at the well. She ran home and told her people that she had found the Messiah. Do we spread good and positive news, or we are masters of rumor-mongering and gossip.
Dear friends, let us strive to look for help in the right places so that we can discover our true calling in this world. We also need to spend sufficient time with Jesus so that he can teach us about the kingdom of God and when we have discovered it bring others along.
Have a blessed Sunday
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 