The readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011424.cfm
Today’s readings are about being called.
In the first reading, we hear Samuel’s call as a young man to be a prophet when he responded,
"Speak, for your servant is listening."
And in the gospel from the evangelist St. John we hear the call of the first disciples to follow Jesus permanently.
When they ask Him where He is staying He responds, “Come, and you will see.”
Or in other words, “Follow me.”
Whether we feel like Samuel or those first disciples,
everyone here has been called directly and individually
to be a son or daughter of God
and a permanent follower of Jesus Christ.
As a result of our Baptism,
we have an indelible character,
a mark on our soul that cannot be removed
that signifies we are a follower of Jesus Christ.
And how lucky are we?
Sometimes we forget
that more than half the world has not heard about God’s plan of salvation in Christ.
And the critical question for all of us who have been called
is to answer how we fulfill his call.
How do we live and be faithful to this call to follow Jesus?
While good and proper and worthwhile,
it is much more than saying novenas or rosaries or chaplets or other sacramentals.
Doing those things is easy.
But, Jesus raised the bar.
As we examine how faithful we are to his call,
in how His call should change lives,
we must examine how we relate to other people.
Regular people in our regular lives.
Strangers we run into in stores and on the street.
People we come into contact with at work.
And those closest to us in our family and circle of friends.
As hard as we may try,
almost all of us are never without people around.
And as a result of our call to follow Jesus,
He wants us to understand
that what we do to them,
we do to him.
To answer the call to follow Jesus
is to understand that we show our love for Him
by how we love and serve others.
Even though we may not consciously make this connection,
He makes it constantly,
and He told us,
He will make it at the last judgment.
He wants us to know
that everyone is called to have a relationship with Him.
He wants us to serve and love Him in others.
He wants us to try to live as He lived with others.
To show kindness at home and respect for our neighbors.
To accept all people whatever their race, color, social standing, politics or immigration status.
To show some of the compassion of Jesus to those who are suffering or disabled.
To be more generous to the poor and needy.
To be just in our work.
To strive to be reconciled with others when they ask our forgiveness.
To do these things
is to respond to God’s call to follow Jesus.
And in doing these things - whether we know it or not -
We lead other people to God so that they too can be followers.
Most disciples don’t come to Jesus on their own.
They are led by others.
So, I think we all need to ask ourselves.
Do I live my life in a way that brings people closer to Jesus
or in a way that pushes them further away?
People follow because they trust and that’s how the church grows.
That’s how people get closer to Jesus.
And it’s on us.
here in this Church.
No one ever became a Catholic without the help of other Catholics who got there before them, both living and dead.
To paraphrase, the great Catholic author, G.K. Chesterton who wrote that there is only one really strong argument against Catholicism -
Catholics.
He would also say that there is only one really strong argument for Catholism -
Catholics.
Joyful Catholics.
Loving Catholics.
Honest Catholics.
Trustable Catholics.
It’s a tremendous responsibility that we have as a result of our call, and it’s one we cannot escape.
This week I ask you to consider thoughtfully and maybe pray on it a bit as well,
Do you live in a way that brings people closer to Jesus?
Or do you live in a way that pushes them further away?
As a result of the call we have all received to follow Jesus,
reinforced by Baptism,
we all have a responsibility to lead others to Jesus.
So that others will recognize His call and answer it as well.
He has spoken.
But are we listening?
