Reflection for January 18, 2009

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

The words to the song, “The Summons,” never fail to move me. “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?” (© 1987, GIA)  Today’s Scriptures invite us to ponder the mystery of hearing God’s call and being willing to become Jesus’ disciples. I often listen to people as they grapple with this mystery. They ask questions like:

Q:   How do I know if God is calling me?
A:   We can trust that God is always calling us – to phone someone who is sick, to say a kind word to a difficult neighbor, to contact a government official about an issue of justice, to do something concrete for people who are poor, to turn off the TV and spend a little quiet time.

We are all, always, being called to enter more deeply into Mystery, to experience the wonder of being “joined to the Lord…, one Spirit with him.” Some of us may follow that call as religious vowed to prayer, service and community; some of us may follow Jesus in a married or single lifestyle, in the workplace, in church ministry or in public service – or in a combination of several of these paths.

Often we aren’t in a frame of mind to listen deeply to our inner and outer world, as one writer describes the practice of discernment.  We can do a lot to till our inner soil to make it ready to receive God’s word. Eli gives Samuel some good advice:  slow down and be quiet; get enough rest; pay attention.  Jesus invites us to “come and see,” to spend time with him, praying, serving, talking, sharing with him and with his other followers.

Q:  What if I’m not ready to respond?  
A:  Despite today’s scene from John’s Gospel, I imagine that Andrew, Peter, and the others hesitated a few moments before they dropped everything and followed Jesus. Sometimes they must have wondered, “Now what did I get myself into?”

We can take comfort in remembering that God is the one who calls. This is God’s work, not ours. Gently, persistently, God invites, never forces, us, respecting our freedom. When we are ready to respond to God’s nudging, God will give us the strength we need to follow the call wholeheartedly.

That desire to follow God’s leading, in unrestricted readiness, was close to the heart of Mother Elizabeth Boyle, the first Mother of the Sisters of Charity of New York.  Her words ring with openness and trust in God:
     “My heart is ready indeed to do in any way Your ever, ever blessed will;
      and Thy grace surely is also ready, ready for every moment and circumstance.”

Q:  What if I’m afraid that God will ask me to do something hard?
A:  Following the example of Jesus as his disciples – this is our call. Is it easy and comfortable?  Hardly ever.  Will it stretch us, bend us, turn us inside out and upside down, change our lives forever? Count on it! “Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?”

And will following Jesus also fulfill our deepest longings and bring purpose and peace beyond all understanding?  Ask Samuel and Eli. Ask Paul and John the Baptist. Ask Andrew and Peter. Ask Elizabeth Ann Seton and Elizabeth Boyle. Ask the wisdom figures among your own family and friends. 

Faithful followers know that they don’t see the whole picture. They take the first step – “Come and see” – and then the next, and the next, following the one who leads. Such is the path of discipleship that the Scriptures of each Sunday will keep unpacking for us.

This week, let our prayer be, “Give us the strength to follow Your call. God who always calls, speak, for your servant is listening.”