Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – January 14, 2017.

Readings: 1 Sam. 3:3-10,19; Ps 39:2,4,7-10; 1 Cor. 6:13-15,17-20; Gospel John 1:35-42.

Theme: The Call to Holiness!

Introduction

Dearly beloved in Christ, with the end of Christmastide by the celebration of the baptism of the Lord, we are back to the ordinary season of the year. Today, we are presented with the importance of the call to holiness. Our liturgy is not just an expose about the prophetic enterprise but a reminder that we need models of faith to inspire us towards holiness and sainthood. It also urges one and all to fulfil their prophetic mandate as desired by God. Our reflection shall scan through the liturgical readings, pastoral implications and homiletic quotes.

Explication of the Readings

The first reading (1 Sam. 3:3-10,19) recounts the encounter between Samuel and Eli. A background to today’s text reveals how Hannah, Samuel’s mother had cried before God for a child. The man of God spoke faith into her by asking God to grant her heart’s desire. In his faithfulness, God blessed Elkanah and his wife Hannah with a child whom they named Samuel – a name which means “God has heard.” Because she promised to dedicate her child to the service of God if he removes the shame of bareness from her family, Hannah took Samuel to Shiloh were the child remained in the service of God.

This is where today’s reading begins because it tells us that while he was at the service of God at Shiloh, Samuel heard a voice calling him twice. Each time he went to Eli, the man of God would say, I didn’t call you. But since Eli realised that it was God calling the boy, he told him to say “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” if he hears the voice the third time. Samuel obliged him and the word of God revealed that the boy “grew and the Lord was with him and let no word of his fall to the ground.”    

Like the call of Samuel, the second reading (1 Cor. 6:13-15,17-20) presents before us the call to holiness. The reading insists that “the body is not meant for fornication” stressing that “it is for the Lord.” It more or less reminds us that we have been bought and paid at a price. This is why we are mandated to live the life of service by offering our lives as a sacrifice acceptable to the Lord (Rom. 12:1).

In the gospel, we hear about the call of the apostles. What is interesting is the network in the call to discipleship. First, upon seeing Jesus, John says to two of his disciples, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.” Because of this verbal witness, we are told that the two disciples not only followed Jesus to his abode but they stayed with him. Interestingly, Andrew who followed Jesus because of the verbal witness of his Master John disclosed to his brother, Simon that they had found the Messiah. He actually took Simon to Jesus who looked at him and said: “You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas, meaning Christ.”    

Pastoral Application

1. Our liturgy tasks all pastors of souls to be role models in the mould of Eli who made Samuel recognise the voice of God by giving young people a sense of direction in life and also helping them to answer God’s call.

2. Young people must realise that like Eli, priests have the sole responsibility of helping them to listen to the voice of God which means that they must not coerce them to lose sight of their calling by insisting that they abdicate preaching and administration of Sacraments to run from one office to another helping them to secure jobs.  

3. In a world where the priestly, religious and married life are becoming less attractive, the youth are charged to cooperate with their parents/guardians and pastors of souls in holy obedience and answering the call of God to the priestly, religious and married life.

4. Rather than just sitting and complaining about what is happening in our country, the youth must learn from Samuel who was active in the service of God by learning on how to grow in the Lord through ensuring that God’s word does not fall to the ground.

5. In a society where people are afraid of the call to holiness, Christians are urged to embrace verbal and bodily holiness through offering themselves as living sacrifices to God.

6. Just as John showed Jesus to Andrew as “the the Lamb of God,” we are direly in need of contemporary prophets who would direct us to Jesus and not to a prosperity gospel which celebrates Christmas and shuns the crucifixion. 

7. The call of Andrew and Simon his brother speaks to the heart of synergy in the call to holiness which also mandates us as children, youth and the elderly to network as partners in the call to discipleship.

8. Since Andrew and his brother Simon met the Messiah because of the verbal witness of John, we are challenged as priests, religious and laity to take the verbal proclamation of the gospel seriously as that might be the only way some people will come to know Christ.  

9. Our liturgy reveals how the last becomes the first because it discloses how Simon who was brought by Andrew ends up becoming “the Rock” that is, the head of the college of apostles.