Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s readings, we hear God calling out to us. In the first reading, the LORD called out to Samuel but he did not realize that is was God speaking because “at that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD.” Thinking it was Eli, he went to him saying, “Here I am. You called me.” This happened three times before Eli understood that it was God’s voice calling out to Samuel, and he instructed him to say, “Speak, for your Servant is listening”. Oftentimes, we too do not recognize God’s voice calling out to us, but like Samuel, we need a guide, a wise father, a companion to help us along the way. To help us understand how it is we are to respond and to give us the courage to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” This guide can come in many different forms: a spiritual director, our local priest, a trusted friend, family members, or even a stranger that we are blessed to have an encounter with.
It is also important to be persistent in our listening and seeking. When Samuel heard the voice, he continued to go to Samuel and didn’t give up when he didn’t understand. We too must be persistent in our listening and seeking guidance so that we can respond to God’s voice and once we understand that the voice calling out to us is God we must not hesitate in our response. We must say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is Listening,” and like the disciples of John, we must follow after him.
The response and following is only the beginning of our journey in Christ for we must continue to learn and seek God, to listen to his voice, and to seek council, so that we can hear Jesus saying to us, “What are you looking for?” What will be your response? Are you willing to ask, “Where are you staying?” If so Jesus will say to us, “Come, and you will see.” And what will we find? As we grow in relationship with Christ we will come to see that Jesus is dwelling within each of us, within our hearts. It is the Love of Jesus dwelling within us that makes us holy as He is holy. This is why our bodies are not made for immorality but for love. We are called into God’s love and to grow in that love all our lives. We cannot do this on our own but it is God’s voice calling out to us that makes us strong and fills us with the grace to understand that, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own. For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”
Reflection by Br. Placid Dale, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections