SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II 10TH JANUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II 10TH JANUARY 2024

1Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20; Ps.40; Mark 1:29-39

The Young need Direction

In today’s first reading, God called Samuel. This experience was to initiate a conscious dialogue and covenant between God and Samuel. The call of Samuel is quite different from that of the prophets. When God called Samuel, he ran to Eli on two occasions. This means that the voice he heard was like the voice of a father to the son. By mere calling, the purpose for calling was subtly communicated, namely, God wanted to establish a Father-Son relationship. It was because Samuel identified fatherhood in the voice that was why he ran to Eli.

Today, we are called upon to learn from Samuel and Eli. The example of Samuel teaches us that for us to be able to become great, we must surround ourselves with great minds. The caliber of people we mingle and rob minds with, goes a long way in shaping what becomes of our lives. Imagine if Samuel was living with a drunkard when God called!

Young people are in dire need of direction. While sometimes they are not humble enough to seek it, some other times, they are not opportune to get a good director. Having understood what was happening, Eli helped Samuel to answer God’s call. This is what mentoring entails! Mentoring is not about making another to be like oneself; it is about helping people to realize and achieve the purpose for their creation.

The role of a spiritual director in the life of a Christian cannot be over-emphasized. This is something we don’t hear or practice much outside the seminary and the clerical cycle. Spiritual direction is not all about going for confession. It involves allowing another (who is far more experiential than you are) to assist you in the journey of answering God’s call.

It is one thing to hear God calling; it is another thing to understand that it is God that is calling. For us to be able to properly interpret life’s events, we need spiritually minded persons around us. The first place one gets spiritual direction is the home. Parenting is not all about feeding, clothing, housing and providing education for the child. Parenting involves more of teaching the children the right thing by doing it yourself. Children look up to their parents (just as Samuel was running to Eli). If the parents fail to direct the looks of the children to God, then they are most ungrateful for the gift of the fruit of the womb.

Also, Christianity is about turning the direction of others away from ourselves and focusing it on God. We must be careful that in helping others, we do not enthrone ourselves as gods. The poor man’s expression of gratitude can become an occasion for pride in us. See, there is so much more to do in building God’s kingdom here on earth; no time to sit down and start receiving accolades. Reserve that to when Christ himself will pour it on us for a work well done after our earthly sojourn. Let's not get distracted with "I have tried" mentality.