 |
John 1: 35 - 42
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011721.cfm
Out here in the Pacific northwest part of our Country we are familiar with the two early American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark commissioned by then President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 to begin an exploration of the enormous newly purchased western half of what became a much vaster United States. These courageous explorers were branded the “Corps of Discovery” and along their laborious trek to the Pacific Ocean they met a young female Native American guide, Sacagawea, who became an indispensable navigator to open the way to an unprecedented new beginning for the American nation. It was an amazing accomplishment. They were searching, literally walking and rafting into unknown and perilous territory hoping to find a new way.
Our first reading this Sunday from the Book of Samuel in
this now ordinary time of the liturgical year finds the Lord calling the young
Samuel by name as he sleeps in the temple of the Lord. Samuel hears the call but does not recognize
that it is the Lord who calls him. In a
near humorous scenario in which Samuel wakes up and goes back to sleep,
directed by the priest Eli, Samuel finally comes to identify the voice of God
within him and responds: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” The Lord
finally got Samuel’s attention, excusable likely due to his young age.
I find it interesting, however, to hear that Samuel was
unaware of the Lord. As the Book of
Samuel states: “At that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the
Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.” It seems that rather than Samuel
seeking the Lord, it was the Lord who was seeking him. It was the Lord who was
on a mission of discovery to find the heart of Samuel and like our northwest
explorers, Samuel was called to set out to discover the will of God.
Our Gospel from John, as the disciples of John the
Baptist are redirected by him to go in search of Jesus, the “Lamb of God,”
holds a similar theme. To Jewish ears the title Lamb of God would have
resonated with images of the Passover, their deliverance from Egypt and their
longing for a savior with Messianic overtones.
Two of John’s disciples, one named Andrew, eagerly follow John’s advice
and seek to find Jesus.
All of this sense of search and discovery is confirmed in
Jesus’ statement as he notices John disciples now following him: “What are you
looking for?” We might more exactly understand the words of Jesus saying: “What
are you seeking?” John invites us to see these words, the first spoken by Jesus
in the Gospel of John, as a call to all of us as we discover that, like Samuel,
the Lord is seeking us. In many ways in our daily life the Lord makes himself
known and asks, “What are you looking for?”
“What, really, am I looking for in this life?” Jesus
invited his followers to “come and see” and so they stayed with him and we can
only imagine what that experience and conversation was like throughout the day.
Finally, later that afternoon, Andrew goes in search of
his brother Simon and brings him to meet Jesus.
So we see the gathering by Jesus of his early disciples who later became
the pillars of his Church in the apostolic order.
Jesus’ presence was enough to bring these early men to Jesus
and in that way the Lord was seeking to find them. So too with us. To set out for a deeper
discovery of the Lord is to set out in search of the whole meaning and purpose
of our lives. What are we seeking? More stuff, fame, wealth, a nice home, a
great marriage, a secure job, good heath?
While all that does have its place in our lives it does not satisfy
us. When we go from new and shiny to
dull and routine, we seek more that provides the same level of discontent in
the end. We are called to holiness, to discipleship, to understanding and
faith; to hope and trust in the Lord.
If I am marked through baptism with the sign of Christ,
ideally for all of us it would be to follow Christ and to see him as Lord of my
life. If he is truly Lord, then everything we have belongs to him.
Let us bring Christ to the world in a way that will not be apologetic or half-baked. The great evangelist Bishop Robert Barron is clear on this point. As we share in the Holy Eucharist we recognize not just the life we share in our particular parishes but the price that was paid by Christ who is Lord for all humanity. We have been incorporated, folded in to and grafted on the vine of life in Christ. Hear him calling to you in the many ways he speaks through the Church in Scriptures and Sacrament, in prayer, in the experiences of daily living, in the call to selfless service to those in need, then “Go announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
--------------------------------
Almighty ever-living God,
who govern all things,
both in heaven and on earth,
mercifully hear the pleading of your people
and bestow your peace on our times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
No comments:
Post a Comment