In the readings for this Sunday, we are presented with three different calls from God to minister. In the first Reading, Samuel is living in the temple at Shiloh with Eli when he hears the voice of God call him. In the Gospel, Andrew and another disciple are with John the Baptist who points out Jesus to them: “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:29 RSVCE) These two disciples then begin to follow Jesus who invites them to come and see where he is staying. The third call is the call of Peter, also found within the Gospel reading. Andrew, one of the first two, approaches his brother Peter, announcing to him that they have found the messiah. And he brings him to Jesus.
In the first two calls, those who are called, namely Samuel and the two disciples of John the Baptist, are unable to recognize God and his call at first. In the first reading, it says that “Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him”(1 Sam 3:7 RSVCE). Because Samuel did not know the Lord, he was unable to recognize his voice when he called at first. But when the Lord came and stood before him and Samuel encountered him, he was able to recognize the call of the Lord. And his ministry as a prophet bore fruit by God’s grace. Similarly, in Gospel reading, the disciples follow Jesus without really knowing anything beyond what John has told them about him. It is not until after they have spent the day with him, until after they have personally encountered and known Jesus that they are able to begin their mission as Apostles, to proclaim the Good News to all, beginning with Peter.
The same is true for us also. We cannot carry out God’s will if we do not first know him. We must encounter him in prayer, forming a personal relationship with him. This is the point of prayer, to spend time with God, with the one who loves us. Our whole person is made for union with God, both body and soul as St. Paul makes clear in the second reading. God desires to love us and to be loved in return by us. He desires us so much that he willed to die on the cross for us.
How he longs for us to return his love, just as we long for the love of those we hold dear. We must manifest our love for God through loving our neighbour and the different sacrifices and duties we offer to God. But first, this love must be shown in our prayer. If we truly desire to love God, we must spend time with him, no matter how useless that time may feel in the moment. If we spend time with him, our knowledge and love of him grows. We will begin to desire him, to form that personal relationship that he desires for us.
Daniel Phillips – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta.
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