“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will” (Psalm 40)

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

1 Samuel 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.

1 Corinthians 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.

John 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.

In this Sunday’s Mass readings, the focus is on God’s calling.

When Samuel is a boy, he ministers to the Lord before Eli the priest (ref 1 Sam 3:1). In the first reading, when Samuel has not yet known the Lord and the word of the Lord has not been revealed to him, he is called by the Lord. He does not recognize the call from the Lord and thinks that it is from Eli. It is Eli who realizes that it might be a call from the Lord and helps Samuel respond.

In the gospel reading, we hear that when Jesus walks by John the Baptist, the latter’s exclamation “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:35), prompts two of his disciples, one of whom is Andrew, to follow Jesus at once. When Jesus invites the two new followers to “Come and see” (Jn 1:39), they do and remain with Him that day. Not only does Andrew respond to Jesus’ call, he brings to Jesus his brother Simon, whom Jesus names Peter, who would become the rock upon which Jesus builds His church (Ref Ma 16:18).

To listen to God’s call and to do His will is a continual process as we go through our earthly journey. As the circumstances in our life change, we may be called to serve Him in ways that we can never imagine before. It is very important to listen to Him all the time. It is only after we have listened and discerned that we can find the best way to serve Him. We might need someone to help us listen, someone who has solid faith and rich experience in life, a parent, a godparent, a teacher, a mentor or someone like John the Baptist, who helps his disciples recognize God and listen to His call. Not only does Andrew respond to Jesus’ call, he brings his brother to Jesus too. Whatever our role in life may be, we must bear in mind the example of Andrew. We are obliged to help those around us listen to God so that they can discern God’s plan in their lives and follow accordingly.

With this outlook, let us all join in and sing the Responsorial Psalm this Sunday at Mass “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will” (Psalm 40).

Shiu Lan

Shiu Lan is your Catholic neighbour with a simple faith and likes praying the Rosary. With a B.Sc from the University of Hong Kong, she worked in Information Technology and Project Management before working with joy at home.

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