Readings for Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20
This passage contains the story of the call of Samuel popularized by the song “Here I Am Lord”. It is clear from the text that this historical period did not have regular contacts with those gifted with prophecy (“it was rare for the Lord to speak in those days;” JB). It is the priest Eli who recognizes that it is God calling to the young Samuel and tells the boy how to respond.
Although it is not contained in the selection, verses 11-18 provide the context of Samuel’s first oracle and it turns out to be a punishment upon the family of Eli whose sons have blasphemed. Samuel fame, we are told, spreads as his favored status as prophet becomes known.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. Praise and thanksgiving are given to God whose justice is applied to all.
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
Immediately following his exorcism of the unclean spirit and still in Capernaum, Jesus continues his healing ministry by curing Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. His notoriety spreads quickly and other people from the region begin bring those ill in body and mind to him at the house of his disciples Simon and his brother Andrew. The passage concludes as St. Mark’s account shows Jesus responds to the Father’s purpose in sending him – to proclaim God’s love through preaching and curing the sick.
Reflection:
As we continue to see in scripture Christ revealing the Father’s love for us in the fullness of his ministry, we also are given an additional insight into his obedience. Taken alone, we might see the Gospel story of Jesus exercising his preaching and healing gifts as an expression of his self-directed salvific mission. Indeed because of the eternal nature of the Lord, this “purpose” is implicit throughout the period from his Baptism to his Crucifixion.
However, we also are given the story of Samuel’s call. Samuel, who was dedicated from birth to be set aside for service to God, is now a young man in the service of the very priest who spoke to his mother, Hannah, and gave her the Temple blessing on her prayer that she might bear a son. We are told that, in this period of history, encounters with God were rare and the role of the Prophets had not yet developed into something recognized easily or expected. It is the priest Eli, after having been awaked three times by Samuel that recognizes that the boy has been receiving a call from the Lord God. He tells the boy how to respond. From that point forward the story becomes one of call and response.
When we are given the story of the call of Samuel as a powerful example of how the call of God can be made known, we see that Jesus too is responding to the call of the Father. Although in a different way because he is also true God, Jesus, none the less, is obedient to the Father’s will (we see this most graphically in his prayer in the garden just before the passion).
So the clear lesson we must take from God’s word today is to be alert and open to God’s call. He came to Samuel as a whisper in the night. Because they are of the same essence, God’s will was made known to his Son Jesus very directly. We will probably not be so fortunate as to have the Father’s will about our actions announced to us clearly. This is due, to a large degree, to the fact that when we pray, most of us spend most of our time talking and little time listening.
Today our prayer is this, that we be given the grace to listen patiently and respond to God with zeal and love when he makes our purpose known to us. As his disciples who want to do his will, it is critical that we listen for his voice whether it comes at night indistinctly in a dream, through a sudden insight driven by the Word of God or in brilliant flashes of clarity. (We can always hope for the latter.)
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Christ Healing the Blind” by El Greco, 1570s
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20
This passage contains the story of the call of Samuel popularized by the song “Here I Am Lord”. It is clear from the text that this historical period did not have regular contacts with those gifted with prophecy (“it was rare for the Lord to speak in those days;” JB). It is the priest Eli who recognizes that it is God calling to the young Samuel and tells the boy how to respond.
Although it is not contained in the selection, verses 11-18 provide the context of Samuel’s first oracle and it turns out to be a punishment upon the family of Eli whose sons have blasphemed. Samuel fame, we are told, spreads as his favored status as prophet becomes known.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. Praise and thanksgiving are given to God whose justice is applied to all.
Gospel Mark 1:29-39
Immediately following his exorcism of the unclean spirit and still in Capernaum, Jesus continues his healing ministry by curing Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. His notoriety spreads quickly and other people from the region begin bring those ill in body and mind to him at the house of his disciples Simon and his brother Andrew. The passage concludes as St. Mark’s account shows Jesus responds to the Father’s purpose in sending him – to proclaim God’s love through preaching and curing the sick.
Reflection:
As we continue to see in scripture Christ revealing the Father’s love for us in the fullness of his ministry, we also are given an additional insight into his obedience. Taken alone, we might see the Gospel story of Jesus exercising his preaching and healing gifts as an expression of his self-directed salvific mission. Indeed because of the eternal nature of the Lord, this “purpose” is implicit throughout the period from his Baptism to his Crucifixion.
However, we also are given the story of Samuel’s call. Samuel, who was dedicated from birth to be set aside for service to God, is now a young man in the service of the very priest who spoke to his mother, Hannah, and gave her the Temple blessing on her prayer that she might bear a son. We are told that, in this period of history, encounters with God were rare and the role of the Prophets had not yet developed into something recognized easily or expected. It is the priest Eli, after having been awaked three times by Samuel that recognizes that the boy has been receiving a call from the Lord God. He tells the boy how to respond. From that point forward the story becomes one of call and response.
When we are given the story of the call of Samuel as a powerful example of how the call of God can be made known, we see that Jesus too is responding to the call of the Father. Although in a different way because he is also true God, Jesus, none the less, is obedient to the Father’s will (we see this most graphically in his prayer in the garden just before the passion).
So the clear lesson we must take from God’s word today is to be alert and open to God’s call. He came to Samuel as a whisper in the night. Because they are of the same essence, God’s will was made known to his Son Jesus very directly. We will probably not be so fortunate as to have the Father’s will about our actions announced to us clearly. This is due, to a large degree, to the fact that when we pray, most of us spend most of our time talking and little time listening.
Today our prayer is this, that we be given the grace to listen patiently and respond to God with zeal and love when he makes our purpose known to us. As his disciples who want to do his will, it is critical that we listen for his voice whether it comes at night indistinctly in a dream, through a sudden insight driven by the Word of God or in brilliant flashes of clarity. (We can always hope for the latter.)
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Christ Healing the Blind” by El Greco, 1570s
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