Joseph G. Broudou, O.S.A.
Providence Catholic High School
New Lennox, Illinois
Readings
1 Sm 3: 3b-10, 19
Ps 40: 2,4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
1 Cor 6: 13c-15a, 17-20
Jn n1: 35-42
The Christmas season is over and now the children are back to school. We are getting back to normal, back to the ordinary life. The Church is also once again back to Ordinary Time; however, there is nothing ordinary about this season as it covers the whole of salvation history.
Today, our readings clearly show how the Church has put together the Lectionary. The Gospel reflects the first reading, which in turn is linked to the Responsorial Psalm. Our readings speak to us about call and transitions.
The first reading shows the call of Samuel who was the last Judge, and the first Prophet of Israel. He was the one who chose the first king of Israel. In the Gospel, we have the transition from the last Prophet, John the Baptist, to the call of the first three apostles of Jesus.
It is not only Samuel, John, Andrew and Peter that received a call. We all have been called. Our first calling was when God created us. In this calling, God wants us to be a reflection of who He is. We were also called when were Baptized. Through our Baptism, we all share in the three fold mission of Christ as Priest, Prophet and King. As Priest, we are invited to be people of prayer and to participate in the Sacraments, especially at our weekly gathering of the Eucharist. As Prophet, we are to bring good news to others. We evangelize by sharing the gift of faith to those around us. As King, we serve our sisters and brothers by responding to their needs.
Even though we all share in that common calling of the threefold mission of Christ, we are called by God to live in a specific way of life either as single, married, the clergy or the consecrated life. I was first called to be a Diocesan priest, and now I am in formation with the Augustinians. In the rule of St. Augustine, we read “Let all of you then live together in oneness of mind and heart, mutually honoring God in yourselves, whose temples you have become.” We heard something about being the temples in our second reading from St. Paul, who said “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” Through Baptism, we have become temples of the Spirit and we are to live by the Spirit. Learning and living by the Spirit is a lifelong process.
In our First Reading, we saw how Samuel had to ascertain who was speaking to him, and when he found out he said “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Let us all imitate Samuel, or even the first two apostles. When they asked Jesus “where are you staying?” Jesus said “Come, and you will see.” It is by spending time in prayer, reading or listening to spiritual books that we become attune to the voice of God and we can answer with our Responsorial Psalm “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” We can also ask someone to be our guide like Eli was to Samuel. Spiritual companions would be good for many of us. St. Augustine in his rule said “see yourselves in this little book, as in a mirror.” As we live out our Baptismal vocation we see the fruits in our lives. We do the will of God through our state of life and our baptismal vocation by what is put in front of us by the Church and society.
This coming week is an important one for us as Christians. It is the Week of prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2018. As Jesus calls John and Andrew, He is inviting us this coming week to see how we can be missionary disciples to bring about Unity in His body, the Church.
Again let us hear the word of God. “Lord where are you staying?” “Come and see.” Speak, for your servant is listening. “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.”
