Sunday Sermon: God invites us aboard his boat: the sooner the better

The liturgy of the second Sunday in ordinary time is based on the following readings: 1Samuel 3:3-10,19; Psalm 39; 1Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20; John 1:35-42. These readings put an emphasis on God’s revelation to individual people. In the first reading Yahweh calls Samuel by name and in a very personal way Samuel is appointed God’s prophet. In the Gospel Jesus names and calls individuals as Andrew, Simon Peter, and Phillip. He does not call them as a group as such, but individual people with their particularity. And when God calls a person, he or she belongs to the Lord in a new and even deeper fashion, both spiritually and physically. These readings however remind us that our ability to respond positively to the divine calling is rooted in the grace that we are given by God himself. But every man has his or her calling because he or she was created with a certain divine purpose. The episode narrated in the Gospel seems to be made up of a few, quite brief, personal encounters; as it happens daily in our life. But these were not simple encounters as they may seem. For John they were very memorable. He recalls that they took place about “four in the afternoon”. For the first disciples, it was a true epiphany: “We have found the Messiah”. None of them can contain their excitement. Each one in turn is compelled to go and find a friend or a brother and tell them the news. Philip tells Nathaniel and Andrew tells Simon. For John the evangelist, this kind of excitement is quite normal for a person who has really met the Lord and come to know him. And we too should feel that kind of excitement. We see how the Samaritan woman after her encounter with Jesus went to town and started to tell all who cared to listen to her that she had met the Messiah. (Jn 4:28; 20:17) The liturgy of the second Sunday is a challenge to us all: What is your story when it comes to your relationship with your God? Are you aware of your calling? Is it a cause for excitement and do you tell others of your story as the first disciples? We can all speak out at one moment or another that we have seen the Messiah. The lesson that Jesus gives us is that his encounter with an individual is not as casual as it may seem. Everyone he meets is invited aboard his boat, and the sooner the better. This is so even during our time, and we are given the same advice as was given to Samuel by the wise priest Eli: when God speaks to us, we should answer with total readiness. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening”. Today, God continues to encounter with all of us in a truly personal fashion. But it is not always recognised from the start as something very special. But the fact is that all of us; we belong to our Creator. God has a plan for us. We are his project. Often we find this out as we meditate more on our state of life; marriage, professional occupation, social relationships, etc…. Under normal circumstances, one’s vocation becomes clear as one grows to maturity as well as to human and spiritual autonomy. That is when one’s vocation becomes unique and often asserts itself clearly if not forcefully. That is why parents should respect the call of their children and encourage them to follow it as much as they can. In fact, most vocations happen in a family set up; where the parents are “by word and example”, the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children. They should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care their personal orientation. This is not always easy for parents because as man today learns from good examples rather than words; directives and regulations. Hence parents and others in the field of education should remember this fact when helping children to discover their calling.