Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The theme of God’s call is perhaps the most common theme inthe scriptures. The reason is simple. Stories of God’s call to human beings occur quite frequently in the Scripture. There is the call of Abraham, the call of Moses, the call of Samuel in today’s first reading, the call of David, the call of Isaiah, the call of the Mary and the call of the Apostles in today’s gospel reading. And, if we compare these stories we realize that there are common threads that run through each of these stories. 1) First, each of these individuals was someone from whom you could not expect much. Abraham was childless, Moses was a fugitive, David but a shepherd, Samuel only a youth, the disciples most of them fishermen. Yet God calls these people to fulfil a particular task.

2) Second, each of their call ends by them making an unreasonable surrender to the God who calls. Abraham is obedient even though he is childless, Moses doesn’t understand how he will free his people from a powerful Pharaoh; Jeremiah complains to God that he is but a youth; Samuel does not even realize that it is God who was calling him that night; Mary wonders how she can be the mother of Jesus without relationship with a man; and when the disciples ask Jesus,” Where are you staying,” he merely says, “Come and see.” And yet each one of them unconditionally yielded to God’s call. Mary’s response is the most unreasonable and yet the best, “Behold I am the servant of the Lord.”

3) Third, God accomplishes unimaginable things through these people. Abraham becomes the father of the Jewish people, Samuel becomes a prophet, Moses leads the people of Israel to liberation, Mary gives birth to God’s Son, the disciples witness of the life of Christ.

Each of us also has a call. What is our call? In prayer and in silence let us both discern and commit ourselves to the God who calls us.

- Fr. Satish Joseph