The Calling, 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

This is a story as old as humanity itself.

From the anxieties of the human condition, man searches for meaning and truth outside himself in a God he does not know.

And God and from the transcendent mystery that is God, reaches out to us, calls out to us individually to know him and love him and be in relationship with him.

This is a story of endless possibility or missed opportunities.

This is a story of the unexpected invitation and the decision that must follow.

 

Samuel was sleeping.

And in the darkness and forgetfulness of sleep the Lord called him.

Samuel wakes and runs to his teacher, the prophet Eli, who Samuel mistakenly thinks called him.

Eli tells him it wasn't him and he sends Samuel back to bed.

Again, the Lord called Samuel, and again the same mistake.

A third time God calls, but it is Eli who understands what is going on and he tells Samuel  next time don't hesitate say

"Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 

Grasp the unexpected, seize the moment Eli is telling Samuel and, of course, Samuel did.

Now the prophets were special to God, but God looks for encounter and relationship with each one of us.

For many of us, God's reaching out goes unnoticed.

Like Samuel we mistake what we experience of God as something else.

We miss the moment of grace because we cannot believe God is in that moment.

Even when we hear God, in the depths of our heart or conscious, we decide not to answer because we are afraid of what that "yes" will mean.

We might be called to leave the safe, the comfortable and the known.

In our human insecurities we fear the transformation an encounter with God would bring about.

How many  opportunities have I missed - countless.

 Missed moments of kindness and generously, moments of forgiveness, moments of love?

 

God calls us in many different ways. Sometimes directly, in a whisper or a bolt of lightening, but more often (but just as grace filled) he calls us through others, our spouses, family and friends, teachers, and even strangers.

 

The baptist heard God's call and he answered the call to be the lone voice in the wilderness.

In today's Gospel John the Baptist sees Jesus along the banks of the Jordan and he again points him out to Andrew and the unnamed disciple - there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

He used the term Lamb of God to indicate that Jesus is from God and is the instrument of our redemption; saving each one of us through his own self sacrifice.

Andrew and the other disciple (compelled by some force of Spirit) turn from the Baptist ( their teacher) to Jesus (the giver of life) and so began their journey of faith.

 

They must of been following Jesus at a discreet distance (don't we all follow Jesus at some discreet distance), wondering what to say or do.  Jesus acts and engages them first.

 He turns and invites them to encounter. "What are you looking for" he asks them.

This is a question that goes beyond the immediate inquiry,  it infers transformation - a new direction, a new shape and scope of one's life.

Jesus invites them to come and see to be a part of his life and to share the great adventure of salvation.

Jesus' - come and see - is the same invitation to mystery, as was the Lord calling  Samuel.

Those two disciples that day (like Samuel and John the Baptist) answered yes to God's call.  They followed, they saw, and they gave glory to Him.

 

Jesus, invites us to wake up from our sleep and to journey with him on a life affirming and life changing journey.

Sure, it can be unnerving to our sense of well being, and it will go beyond our comfort level, it will stretch us thin.

But, it is a call, not a plan, it is a direction, not a roadmap. It is an invitation - not to the possible -  but to the impossible. It is free falling with only God to catch us.

Samuel, the Baptist, Andrew and the mystery disciple, Simon/Peter, the twelve, and countless others  did not know what the Lord would say or command them to do.

They did not know what life with him would be like, but they all were open to the call and all trusted his goodness and fidelity.

 

I want to end with the trivial and the model.

I love the bit of detail from today's Gospel "it was about four in the afternoon"

This specific time rings as a detail that comes to us from the earliest oral tradition, a detail too precious to leave out.

It implies that this was an actual encounter remembered.

It also reminds us of our own encounter with Jesus.

The moment when God's call got through and we woke from sleep.

 Or when we first noticed a subtle transformation in our character, a little extra kindness, a bit more generosity or loving a little more selflessly.  We would remember that time.

 

 The model.

Andrew, was always second fiddle, his brother Peter was the star, Andrew's greatness was bringing others to Jesus.

Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, he brought the boy with the loaves and fish to Jesus and the Greeks seeking to speak with Jesus.

Like the Baptist, Andrew always points to Jesus.

And this is how we can be; answering the call from God with a yes, following faithfully (not a some discreet distance) and bringing others to Jesus.

This is our story

We have every opportunity in the world to hear and accept the Word of God.

We have every opportunity to follow the Way of God in truth and love.

We can bring others, by our words and action, to God.

And we can always point beyond ourselves to Jesus and confess to the world that we have found God.