HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B 14TH JANUARY 2024

HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

1Sam.3:3b-10, 19; Ps.40; 1Cor.6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42

“ _See, I have come, Lord, to do your will”_ (Ps.40:8a & 9a)

Our Spirituality versus our Company

The first reading of today started with the boy Samuel being present within the temple of the Lord where the Ark of the Covenant was. This was because the mother fulfilled her vow of giving him back to the Lord. However, we see that it took Samuel several attempts before he understood that it was God, not Eli, that was calling him. Samuel living in the temple but not being familiar with God’s voice is rather symbolic; it shows that what brings us into perfect union with God is not our titles or location but our level of responsiveness to the voice and will of God. So, we dare not evaluate our level of intimacy with God on the basis of externalities – God looks at the heart. Therefore, make sure that you are not holy, humble, generous, prayerful, etc, only in the eyes of men. Make sure that you are not so religious but not spiritual. Religiosity may be an indication but surely not an affirmation of spirituality. The constant and deep erosion of values in a society where churches multiply everyday with non-stop prayer sessions, is a testimony of religiousity without spirituality.

Intimacy with God is something that is initiated by God himself but needs man’s positive response. However, the art of responding positively is not automatic but learned. We learn from different ways how to grow in intimacy with God. If we do not plunge ourselves to veritable sources, we may find ourselves being misled. The experience of Samuel is the story of every Christian trying to learn how to relate with God. There is always confusion at first; which leads us to looking for clarifications. This confusion and seeking of clarification is often associated with the call of God. The Blessed Virgin Mary too was confused when the Angel visited her; she too sought clarification. But the issue is: from whom do we seek clarifications? The answer is: our company. When we need help, it those whom we know that we run to. So, the boy Samuel ran to Eli, with whom he was living. It was this same Eli that directed Samuel on what to do if he hears the call the third time. Samuel could answer the call of God, not just because he was living in the temple but also because he had the company of Eli.

Beloved, your company affects your spirituality. This is not to say that we should cut off those whom we think are not good enough. No! Be kind and relating to as many persons as possible; but the crop of persons you share your personal life with must be carefully chosen. You may not rise above the level of the company you keep. Your company determines your values. When friends gist, what they appraise becomes what is right in their sight. Many persons have learnt and remained on the wrong side of life because they are confident that their friends too are on the same side. Beloved, on the Day of Judgment, both you and your friends will stand before the tribunal; only God will be the judge.

Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy Samuel and he turned Samuel to the true caller. In the gospel reading, John pointed Jesus Christ to his disciples as the Lamb of God. It did not border Eli that Samuel, having learnt to hear from God, will give more regard to God than himself; neither did it border John that his disciples left him to follow Jesus. Beloved, life is not meant to revolve around any individual. If you are reigning today, it is only for a while. See, everyone, in one way or the other, will have the taste of power; but no one will be all-powerful. Be mindful of what you do with what is transient. If you notice that you are becoming a god in the eyes of those around you or that you are beginning to feel like one, just know that you have abandoned the mission of Christ and are heading towards self-destruction. We must decrease for HIM to increase. Help people, but do not seek to control their lives thereafter. You are not God.

One implication of the actions of Eli and John the Baptist is that both Samuel and the disciples, having discovered the Lord, will be able to move on without them respectively. This is the level we must reach in rendering help to anyone. It is wrong to enslave people while helping them. It is inhuman to stiffen the conscience, freedom, voice and/or rights of others while helping them. The God who ultimately helps us, does not remove our capacity to disobey Him. The truth is, everyone can perceive love. If you truly help a sensible person, he/she will come to love you but not as his/her God.

Another striking thing in the actions of Eli and John the Baptist was the expectation they gave to their subjects as they directed them to the Lord. Eli said to Samuel: “…if he calls you, you shall say, ‘speak, Lord, for your servant hears”. By this Eli was also teaching Samuel that docility is key to having a healthy relationship with God. We cannot be intimate with God if we are not listening to him. The degree of our friendship is the level of our listening. But today, many persons no longer consider the matter of listening to God; we just want God to always listen to us. We just feel that God should not mind listening to us even though we do not listen to Him. No relationship survives on such defective principle. See, if we are not doing God’s will, we are not his friends.

On the part of John the Baptist, he called Jesus the Lamb of God. This nomenclature signifies humility, gentility, sacrifice, docility. John was invariably telling his disciples that friends of Jesus must also become lambs of God. Now, what are we teaching others, in our words and actions, about Jesus? St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that the body is not meant for immorality. This truth cannot be changed. We do not have full right over our bodies because we were bought with a price – the blood of Christ. Beloved, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, masturbation, and the likes, can never become “normal thing”. Admit your weakness but do not legitimize it. No matter how weak you may be, do not teach others that these sins do not matter. I dare to say that if we are not striving towards holiness in this matter, we may just remain on the level of Samuel who though lived in the temple, was not able to identify the voice of God. The Lord who consciously incarnated in the womb of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, will not develop intimacy with the immoral.