Introducing my new book
HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)⛪
When you find what is good for the spiritual and material well-being of others, lead and guide them to it. It is an act of charity.
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
I gladly welcome you to this moment of listening to the Voice of God as it re-echoes in the readings of today. As we journey through the year with the Lord, the readings remind us of the need of being instrumental in leading others to God and in helping them in discerning their vocation. To do this, we must first commit ourselves to living holy and wholesome lives.
Samuel as a little boy under the tutelage and guidance of his Master Eli the High Priest, needed Eli’s direction to discern the voice of God and to express the proper response. In our family and spiritual life, we need guidance to answer God’s call. Parents, mentors, masters, priests and spiritual directors, are those who by their positions are appointed by God to lead others to answer both divine and secular vocational calls in any sphere of life. Each one of us at one point in time in our life could be directing others or be directed by a mentor. Success in our spiritual and secular lives has so much to do with how well we were directed or mentored by a spiritual or secular guardian. According to Linda Rose, a spiritual formator, “Spiritual guidance is not a matter of telling someone what they need to do. It is God who truly heals and guides us, not people.” I would add that most of the time God guides us through people.
There are three elements that are necessary in discerning and answering God’s call.
A disposition and docility of the heart. In the case of Samuel, he was ready to be guided by Eli and to remain in the temple. If he had joined his mates on the street, he would not have heard any call or been guided to answer.
A listening ear. This implies prayer and mediation on scriptures. It also involves active contemplation or reflection which leads one to a profound and deep insight into what God expects from you and the goal He wants you to accomplish.
Obedience in following instructions. A student who ignores exam instructions will end up failing even though they may be smart. We may often claim to have known the direction we choose to go in life. We may claim to have received a relevation or heard God speak to us. We may also be very stubborn and ignore those whose direction will help us achieve a better understanding of our call. We have to be mindful of the fact that life is not all about doing it ourself. Listening and then following instruction always helps us to achieve our greatest potentials.
In every aspect of life there are people endowed with more insights than others. Eli, as a spiritual mentor, understood the voice more clearly than young Samuel. After discerning whose voice was calling Samuel Eli instructed him to say, “Speak Lord for Your servant is listening.” In prayers we speak to God, but also God speaks to us. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us to listen attentively to what God tells us in our daily lives. Doing spiritual exercises, such as the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius and following the example of saints would be vital in leading one to where God is calling.
God speaks to us daily in our heart. The voice of the conscience urges us to do what is right and to desist from evil, but we often ignore it and follow our desires and instincts. This is an act of ignoring the Voice of God. “What does it profit you to give God one thing if He asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it.”–St. John of the Cross
In the second reading, Paul reminds us that the sin of immorality is the destruction of our very bodies which by Baptism has been consecrated to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit. To live a life pleasing to God and to be disposed to being directed by the Holy Spirit we must avoid sins of the flesh and glorify God in our body.
In the Gospel we see John the Baptist pointing to Christ as the “Lamb of God”, thus encouraging his disciples to follow Jesus and so it is with us. At Christmas we contemplated Christ in mystery. Now we are called to follow Him in our daily lives. John did not ask them to behold a great moral example or a great teacher of holiness and love, but the very Lamb of God. Jesus was greeted by John with the word “Lamb” declaring His destiny of His sacrificial agony and death on the cross for the sin of mankind. John was a signpost pointing to Christ and leading others to Christ. John showed no resistance nor dissuaded his disciples from following another man because he understood his own work was a witness and guide. Today’s Gospel is a perfect indication of the essential characteristics of the journey of faith. This journey involves some guidance and an itinerary of faith. This journey of faith begins by answering Jesus’ question to the disciples, “What do you seek ?” (v38). This was the same question that was addressed to Mary Magdalene beside the tomb on Easter morning, “Whom do you seek ?” ( cf. John 20:15). Every disciple must answer this question and be guided to follow Christ. As humans, we seek happiness, love, a good life. We can find all these when we embrace Christ. Fundamental in this search is the role of a guide and witness like John the Baptist and Eli the High Priest. We all need a personal encounter with Christ. This desire was expressed when the disciples inquired where the Master dwelt, ” Where are you staying ?” Seeking God involves an open disposition to encounter Him and continuous searching for His dwelling place. It was in that dwelling place that Samuel received his call to discipleship.
Equally insightful in this Gospel is the action of Andrew who heard John and followed Jesus and then brought his brother Simon to Jesus. Both John the Baptist and Andrew demonstrate to us the example of leading others to a source that would be beneficial to their spiritual life. It is an act of charity to show others the way to something good. If we all can eschew greed and lead others to God and to whatever we know to be helpful to their well-being it will do a lot in changing our world.
May God transform our hearts and make us sincere and honest disciples who will lead and direct others to God even as we seek to follow Christ. May God bless and keep you. Happy Sunday.
