Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Sunday, 18 January 2015Meditation - 1 Samuel 3:3 and Samuel was sleeping on a mat near the sacred chest in the Lord’s house. They had not been asleep very long[a] 4 when the Lord called out Samuel’s name.
“Here I am!” Samuel answered. 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel went back.
6 Again the Lord called out Samuel’s name. Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you want?”
Eli told him, “Son, I didn’t call you. Go back to sleep.”
7 The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. 8 When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. 9 So he said, “Go back and lie down! If someone speaks to you again, answer, ‘I’m listening, Lord. What do you want me to do?’”
Once again Samuel went back and lay down.
10 The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“I’m listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”[Footnotes:
3.3 They. . . long: The Hebrew text has “The lamp was still burning.” An olive oil lamp would go out after a few hours if the wick was not adjusted.]
The Lord Helps Samuel
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord helped him and made everything Samuel said come true.
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. (1 Samuel 3:19)
Learning how to listen to the voice of the Lord is key to spiritual growth. Every saint’s life illustrates this point in one way or another. Francis of Assisi heard the Lord say, “Rebuild my Church,” and even though it took him some time to understand what God meant, Francis was faithful to that command. Mother Teresa felt God ask her to leave her order and care for the poorest of the poor. These saints, and so many others, responded because these words had a powerful effect on them.
But it isn’t just in the deep, life-changing moments that God wants to speak to us. In fact, these saints could hear these “big” messages because they had experience discerning the quieter messages that Jesus put in their hearts. And that’s how it can happen for us. When we sense God telling us, “Come to me, and I will give you peace,” we can stop for a moment and turn our hearts to him. Or when we hear “Come and confess your sins,” we can make a quick examination of conscience and ask for his mercy. Responding to these small promptings will bring us closer to the Lord—and they’ll help us hear him in the bigger areas of our lives!
The Holy Spirit never tires of telling us that Jesus has redeemed us and is offering us new life. He never tires of nudging us toward more virtuous behavior so that we can become more like Christ. He never tires of helping us find the way to peace, the peace that comes from aligning ourselves with his will.
Yielding to the Lord and letting him have an effect on us—this is our great challenge. It’s easy to go our own way without listening for God’s word. But when we see the fruit of hearing and following him, we know it is the greatest treasure we can possibly have.
“Open my ears, Lord, to hear your word. Give me the courage to follow you wherever you lead.” Amen!
Psalms 40:2 and pulled me
from a lonely pit
full of mud and mire.
You let me stand on a rock
with my feet firm,
4 You bless all of those
who trust you, Lord,
and refuse to worship idols
or follow false gods.
7 And so, I said, “I am here
to do what is written
about me in the book,
where it says,
8 ’I enjoy pleasing you.
Your Law is in my heart.’”
9 When your people worshiped,
you know I told them,
“Our Lord always helps!”
10 When all your people met,
I did not keep silent.
I said, “Our Lord is kind.
He is faithful and caring,
and he saves us.”
1 Corinthians 6:13 You also say, “Food is meant for our bodies, and our bodies are meant for food.” But I tell you that God will destroy them both. We are not supposed to do indecent things with our bodies. We are to use them for the Lord who is in charge of our bodies. 14 God will raise us from death by the same power that he used when he raised our Lord to life.
15 Don’t you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No, it isn’t!
17 But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him.
18 Don’t be immoral in matters of sex. That is a sin against your own body in a way that no other sin is. 19 You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
John 1: The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. 36 When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” 37 John’s two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”
They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”
39 Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40 One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”
42 Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”[a][Footnotes:
1.42 Peter: The Aramaic name “Cephas” and the Greek name “Peter” each mean “rock.”]
Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion: [1 Samuel 3:3 and Samuel was sleeping on a mat near the sacred chest in the Lord’s house. They had not been asleep very long[a] 4 when the Lord called out Samuel’s name.
“Here I am!” Samuel answered. 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel went back.
6 Again the Lord called out Samuel’s name. Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you want?”
Eli told him, “Son, I didn’t call you. Go back to sleep.”
7 The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. 8 When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. 9 So he said, “Go back and lie down! If someone speaks to you again, answer, ‘I’m listening, Lord. What do you want me to do?’”
Once again Samuel went back and lay down.
10 The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“I’m listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”[Footnotes:
3.3 They. . . long: The Hebrew text has “The lamp was still burning.” An olive oil lamp would go out after a few hours if the wick was not adjusted.]
The Lord Helps Samuel
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord helped him and made everything Samuel said come true.
Psalms 40:2 and pulled me
from a lonely pit
full of mud and mire.
You let me stand on a rock
with my feet firm,
4 You bless all of those
who trust you, Lord,
and refuse to worship idols
or follow false gods.
7 And so, I said, “I am here
to do what is written
about me in the book,
where it says,
8 ’I enjoy pleasing you.
Your Law is in my heart.’”
9 When your people worshiped,
you know I told them,
“Our Lord always helps!”
10 When all your people met,
I did not keep silent.
I said, “Our Lord is kind.
He is faithful and caring,
and he saves us.”
1 Corinthians 6:13 You also say, “Food is meant for our bodies, and our bodies are meant for food.” But I tell you that God will destroy them both. We are not supposed to do indecent things with our bodies. We are to use them for the Lord who is in charge of our bodies. 14 God will raise us from death by the same power that he used when he raised our Lord to life.
15 Don’t you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No, it isn’t!
17 But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him.
18 Don’t be immoral in matters of sex. That is a sin against your own body in a way that no other sin is. 19 You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
John 1: The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. 36 When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” 37 John’s two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”
They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”
39 Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40 One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”
42 Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”[a][Footnotes:
1.42 Peter: The Aramaic name “Cephas” and the Greek name “Peter” each mean “rock.”]]
1. In the first reading, we hear these words, “At that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.” However, through Eli’s words to him, he was able to say to the Lord, “Speak, for your servant is listening” and the Lord began to reveal himself to him. In what ways has the Lord revealed himself to you? Have you ever said to the Lord in your times of prayer and reflection: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening”? If you did what happened, and if you haven’t, what do you think would happen?
2. The responsorial psalm calls us to humbly turn to the Lord with these words, “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.” The psalmist expresses this even further with these words: “to do your will, O my God, is my delight.” What part does doing the Lord’s will play in how you live your own life? Is it your “delight”? What steps can you take to be more in tune with the Lord’s will for your life?
3. The second reading ends with these challenging words: “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” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). What role does the Holy Spirit (“within you”) play in discerning God’s call for your life? What can you do to give him a bigger role? What are some ways you can “glorify God in your body”?
4. In the Gospel reading, Peter was helped by Andrew in bringing him to the Lord and recognizing the call of the Lord for his life (as was Samuel by Eli in the first reading). In what ways has God used others to help you in knowing the Lord more deeply and discerning his will for your life?
5. Do you believe that Jesus wants to open your heart to experience his love more deeply, so that you too will be compelled, like Andrew in the Gospel reading, to tell others about the Lord and to help in bringing them to him? Why or why not?
6. The meditation ends with these words: “Yielding to the Lord and letting him have an effect on us—this is our great challenge. It’s easy to go our own way without listening for God’s word. But when we see the fruit of hearing and following him, we know it is the greatest treasure we can possibly have.” What do “Yielding to the Lord” and “listening for God’s words” mean to you? How can you make them a greater reality in your life?
7. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord to give you ears to hear his voice, and the courage to say yes to his will and act on it. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.
“Open my ears, Lord, to hear your word. Give me the courage to follow you wherever you lead.” Amen!
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment