Second
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year “B”
Reading I
1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am."
Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me."
"I did not call you," Eli said. "Go back to sleep."
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
"Here I am," he said. "You called me."
But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep."
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me."
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!"
Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8,
8-9, 10
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Reading II
1 Cor
6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord is for the body;
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
Gospel
Jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God."
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" -- which translated means Teacher--
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
"We have found the Messiah" --which is translated Christ --.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
"You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas"--which is translated Peter.
COMMENTARY
To understand the first reading from the First Book of Samuel, we must have knowledge of the prophecy against Eli and his house from the priesthood, which took place in the chapter immediately prior to today’s reading and the knowledge of the birth of Samuel from his barren mother Hannah. (See chapter’s 1:1 to 2:36 for a better understanding)
Samuel was in training and not yet aware of his future role. Although at this time direct word from the Lord was rare, Israel longed for her God as much as Hannah longed for a son. The Lord will remedy this just as Hannah’s barrenness was reversed.
The picture of Eli asleep and practically blind describes Israel’s state in relation to the Lord. The lamp of God, that is, God’s word, is almost extinguished through the unworthiness of the officiating priests. The Lord ignores Eli and calls directly to the boy Samuel to receive this divine word. The fourth call brings Samuel’s willing response, “Here I am,” the same response given by Abraham when the Lord called him to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:1-2). Samuel’s readiness contrasts with the priests’ unwillingness to hear (1 Sam 2:25). Samuel is the faithful, chosen priest who will soon replace the unfaithful and rejected house of Eli.
In the second reading, Paul contrasts the former life of paganism with that of the baptized in Christ. Paul suggests that although through baptism we have been freed from one master (that is our sinful condition), we are made subject to another. If, in freedom we do not live for God, we risk falling back into the slavery of sin.
Paul’s teaching on freedom had been abused to legitimize the sexual licentiousness of the Corinthians. Paul grounds his comments on the dignity of sexuality in the resurrection and in his introduction of the image of the body to describe the union between Christ and the faithful. Through baptism we have become members of Christ’s body. Sin prompts us to prostitute ourselves, giving ourselves over to the false gods of pleasure and promiscuity. Paul identifies this with idolatry.
John’s Gospel differs from the Synoptic Gospel tradition in that John the Baptist gives double testimony before “Israel” instead of the Holy Spirit descending at Jesus’ baptism. The early Christian contrast between “baptism with the spirit” and John’s baptism with water appears hear. “The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” is affirming that Jesus’ death was for the atonement of sin. Jesus as the “lamb” probably represents a primitive Christian combination of the image of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (52:13-53:12) who is lead to slaughter; and the death of Jesus as that of the Passover lamb (John 19:36).
The testimony of John the Bap. achieves its goal when two of his own disciples follow Jesus. “Rabbi” was not a designation for a teacher in Jesus’ time. The Evangelist makes extensive use of this title where it is frequently a sign of respect combined with a statement or question, which will require that the individual’s understanding of Jesus be corrected.
The statement: “We have found the Messiah” is a summons to conversion based on confession that Jesus is “Messiah”. “Cephas”: Only in the Gospel of John and Matthew is Jesus responsible for Simon’s nickname, “Rock,” which is explained as Peter’s future role in the community.
REFLECTION
It’s obvious from today’s readings that the Lord calls out to us in various ways. Some may receive the call directly like Samuel, and others begin to follow after someone else has revealed the Lord just as John revealed Jesus to his disciples. What is important though, is not how we are called but rather how we respond to that call.
Being called by the Lord does not, however, imply that we are all to choose the same path by which to follow, not all are called to a life of religious service. But everyone is called to bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ regardless of our state in life. And, our response to the Lord’s call demands change. Once we have come in contact with the Lord our lives cannot remain the same. Samuel expressed this by his willingness to listen, and Andrew and the other of John’s disciple by staying with Jesus. In fact Andrew was so concerned about spreading the truth about Jesus that he immediately revealed him to Simon his brother, thus showing concern for his fellow man from the moment of his encounter with Jesus. Simon (Peter) immediately left what he was doing to respond to the call to follow Jesus. The problem with discipleship is precisely this: that many are unwilling to change.
No one is called because of his or her merit. Surely, not a single one deserves God’s grace but through his love and mercy, God comes to us. Today’s readings reveal the beginning of the call to the disciples, all of which would in one way or another abandon Jesus when things got tough. Eventually, though, most (11 of them) would change and bear witness to the truth of Jesus Christ despite the consequences. They could not remain idle and definitely could not return to the life they lived before they met Jesus.
We too need to decide what path we will take. God has called us in many different ways. If we choose to respond to his call we must change – not just what we do but also who we are. We must become like John the Baptist and Andrew who led others to Jesus and we must not try to justify the wrongs we do by manipulating the message of love contained in the Gospel like the community of Corinth did in Paul’s letter. Too many will constantly try to find the “loopholes” in Jesus’ message in order to continue living a life that is not in accordance with the Gospel. As true Disciples of Christ – as those who have decided to follow the truth – we must present the real Jesus to everyone. This should not be done in a “militant” way, but rather in the same spirit of Jesus who taught by his example. In the end, to be a true follower of Jesus – to respond to his call is to become a living image of Christ so that those who look at us do not see us but see Jesus Christ instead.
Biblical Sources:
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Campbell, A.F. “Of Prophets and Kings”; Murphy-O’Connor, J., “St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archaeology”; The Collegeville Bible Commentary; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “The Community of the Beloved Disciple; Barrett, C.K. “The Gospel According to John”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.
Reflection: Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa