2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021
1Sam 3:3-10, 19; 1Cor 6:13-15, 17-20; John 1:35-42
One of the first Latin verbs which I learnt at the Boys’ Grammar many moons ago was voco-are, meaning “call”. That is quite appropriate when you think about it, because “calling, being called” forms a major part of Christian life, and voco is the root of the word “vocation”.
Today’s readings are full of God’s call, indicating that this is something which we must take seriously in our daily lives. We hear of Samuel, called persistently during the night; the Psalm is a response to God’s call—“You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim: instead, here am I”—while the Gospel relates how the first disciples were directed to the Lord.
I always feel sorry for Eli when I hear about the call of Samuel. There is Eli, an old man trying to get a decent night’s sleep, and here is this dratted kid, who wakes him up not once, but three times. What is interesting though is that Eli is needed to point Samuel to God: “Samuel had as yet no knowledge of God,” we are told, and so it falls to Eli to teach him how to respond.
There’s a thought for your life and mine: who pointed you towards God, and taught you how to respond? For most of us it was probably our parents in the first place, but their work has continually been reinforced by others, whether by teachers, a parish priest, a spouse, friends, work colleagues or whoever; and it is a work which continues. I received fresh pointers to God from my university chaplaincy, and still others from the seminary, and the various situations in which, and the people with whom, I have worked as a priest.
For Andrew and the other disciple (John?) it is John the Baptist who fulfils Eli’s role of pointing them towards God in the person of Jesus the Christ. “Look, there is the Lamb of God”, he says, using the words by which we are directed to Jesus in Holy Communion. The disciples follow John’s direction, and spend time in Our Lord’s company. The tenth hour is four o’clock in the afternoon, so they probably went for their tea, and stayed for the evening.
There is a process in the calling of these disciples which is relevant to our lives. Someone, in this case, the Baptist, points them to Jesus; they spend time getting to know Him; then they bring others to Him: Simon Peter in Andrew’s case, and probably his own brother in the case of the other disciple.
How does that play out for us? Having been pointed in Jesus’ direction, we need to spend time with Him. We need to listen and to speak to Him in prayer; we need to encounter Him in the Scriptures, reading and reflecting; we must meet Him (when it becomes possible again) in the sacraments and in the gathering of His people; we find Him in the events of daily life. Prayer and reflection are so important here, because we are called into relationship with Him, and as with all relationships, this requires time, listening, and presence to the other person.
Then, at least in theory, we bring others to Him. How do we do that? For a parent, priest or teacher, it may be reasonably obvious. For others, it will be largely a matter of example. If people know that you are a Catholic, they will want to see what effect this has on your life, and in your interactions with others. Does your relationship with Jesus affect your behaviour, your attitudes, your response to other people and to different situations—and if not, why not?
Today’ readings call—there’s that word again—us to reflect. From them, I would pick out three prayers which you might usefully make your own. “Here I am: I come to do your will.” “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” “Rabbi, where do you live?”
