When Jesus saw two of John’s disciples following him, he stopped and asked, “What are you looking for?” What would your answer be if Jesus said that to you?
Instead of answering his question, they asked Jesus, “Where are you staying?” He said, “Come, and you will see.” So they did. Whatever transpired that afternoon prompted Andrew to tell his brother, Peter, “We have found the Messiah.”
Can we say the same? What are we looking for in Jesus Christ? Is your perception of the Messiah what Jesus truly is? Jesus is constantly trying to get our attention just as he endeavored to get Samuel’s attention.
At first, Samuel wasn’t familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not yet revealed anything to him. Centuries later, we are fortunate; the Lord has revealed much to us through the teachings of our Catholic faith toward building his kingdom, but when he calls us, are we willing to respond just as Samuel did? “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Listening is no easy task. We may hear what is being said, but are we listening? Sometimes we are distracted in the midst of hearing what is being said. Perhaps we heard something we objected to or took offense to so instead of continuing to listen, we protest inwardly and miss the rest of what the speaker is saying and likely misunderstood the intent of the message being conveyed.
It took God three tries to break through to Samuel and help him realize that it wasn’t the high priest Eli who was calling him. Fortunately, Eli realized what was happening and mentored Samuel, telling him, “Go to sleep and if you are called, reply, ‘Speak Lord for your servant is listening.’”
Eli introduced Samuel to the art of discernment, which is best done when the activity involves more than one’s own thinking. When God endeavors to speak to you through prayer, meditation, scripture reflection, or a homily, be willing to say, “Speak, Lord for your servant is listening.” You may hear God’s message in a way that otherwise would not have occurred to you. Or be less apt to prejudge what God is trying to convey.
Today’s psalm presents a challenge to us. “I come to do your will.” That isn’t an easy promise to make, yet if we are honest about seeing ourselves as a servant, like Samuel, we ought to do God’s will. Yet, as I said, that isn’t easy especially when we discover that God’s will might run contrary to ours. Repeatedly in his ministry Jesus endeavored to tell his followers the will of his Father for the sake of building the kingdom of God. Examples include the commandment to love God, which we demonstrate when we love others by carrying out the corporal works of mercy.
As we venture into ordinary time, John tells us, “Behold the Lamb of God!” He aims to show us that following Jesus is a very worthwhile endeavor, but first we need to ponder the question that Jesus asked, “What are you looking for?”
Are you looking for guidance to live a better life? If so, ponder what that means to you in light of what God is expecting of us, especially if we hope to hear the divine compliment, “With you I am well pleased.”
Are you looking for guidance to build the kingdom of God? Are you looking for guidance to draw closer to God? That is my endeavor whenever I preach the word of God. Some argue that politics and political issues shouldn’t be discussed in a homily. To the contrary, if need be, I mention political issues to serve as a wakeup call to remind us that politics serves only to build earthly kingdoms but rarely God’s kingdom, which is our mission to build.
In preparing a homily, I rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Do you in turn rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance in listening to God’s word?
I have served this parish as your pastor for over 17 years. Never in that time has any homily generated the mixed reaction I experienced last Sunday. Amid the applause, others walked out, too upset to stay and partake of the Eucharist. I received affirmation from many parishioners, some priests and even a bishop, but some folks were angry, so much so that they have chosen to leave the parish. A priest in Chicago had the same experience in his parish. He observed, “When you lance a boil, its messy, its painful, its smelly but it gets the poison out. We need to let some poison out of the system for the process of healing.”
Healing our wounded country, challenging us to do what we can to build God’s kingdom in this trying time by continuing the works of Christmas was and is my motive. I regret that some of what I said proved to be upsetting for some. By the way, I have never belonged to either political party, for I have issues with both of them. The flak I received from a handful of angry parishioners was painful and demeaning, and they accused me of doing that to them. I regret that what they heard was not what I said or ever intended. So, what are you looking for? Do you wish to build God’s kingdom?
President John Kennedy offered this insight. “Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” I concur and I hope you do as well. Let us seek to build God’s kingdom to heal our wounds.