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Sunday, January 19, 2003 2nd
Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings: 1
Samuel 3: 3-10.19: Speak Lord, I am listening Psalm
39: 2.4.7-10 1
Corinthians 6: 13-15a.17-20: Our
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit John
1: 35-42: The followers
of John the Baptist go with Jesus
The
gospel passage for today reflects historical events in the life of Jesus
and his relationship to disciples of John the Baptist, some of whom
had now become disciples of his own new community. Later
when Jesus was physically absent, they believed he was truly present
in another form, as a Messiah risen from the dead, as the Lamb of God
glorified with the Father. The Baptist is alluding without doubt to
Isa.53 and Jer.15 and uses the Aramaic word galilaico 'ebed which in Greek signifies servant or son. This points
us to passages about the suffering servant of God and the messianic
texts that speak of the Anointed One and the ‘Son of God’ as in Psalms
2 and 4. Thus we get a glimpse of the Christology being developed in
this community speaking to us from the Gospel of John. These titles
express different names for a Messiah long-awaited by the Jews and identified
by the Baptist. But in the actual writing of the gospel we see a type
of rich and complicated Christology proper to the Johannine school of
thought. Jesus is called Lamb or Servant of God, Teacher and finally,
Messiah or the Christ. The only title lacking is that of Son to complete
the depth of the Christology of John. The
4:00 p.m. hour mentioned in the text could very well refer to that encounter
that so influenced their lives, that celebrated their Paschal alliance:
the Eucharistic memory. We
also see the first reference to Peter’s function in the community as
‘rock’, basic to the group of witnesses, followers and believers before
and after the Resurrection. This name given to Peter defines his position
as a cornerstone, a stable foundation for the structure founded by Jesus.
Paul and John help us to see that the true foundation and key is actually
Christ himself, a concept that is realized throughout the church as
people are called and are then ready to follow Jesus. I do not know
of a Christology without a corresponding ecclesiology; and this community
exists solely because there are a number of persons who feel called
by God to form this new family, committed to living out the community
proposed by Jesus. God himself initiates this call to his community;
a call that can come in different ways, yet is always personal and an
invitation without pressure. It can be likened to the memorable call
of Samuel: the old priest Elijah stresses the fact that it is God who
takes the initiative and calls the young man, Samuel, to be a prophet.
The word of God moved the one called from priesthood to prophet; now
his power takes on a dimension beyond the merely secular. At
the beginning of the monarchy, prophecy was not tied in with justice
or injustice for the poor, but rather with emphasis on the dominant
and powerful. Samuel is now to become voice of the people confronting
the errors and abuses of the newly born monarchy, and not just a rubber
stamp for monarchical power. The
Responsorial Psalm reminds us that what is essential in life is to accomplish
the will of God, that is, his desire for justice for the weak as opposed
to giving him sacrificial cultic offerings. Also,
in Jesus the vocation is an attraction or a call, a seduction or a divine
proposal in the first place. What is new is that here the call comes
from God directly through Jesus, who invites his followers as God had
earlier invited the prophets. After accepting the call the human being
is confronted with the task of living a way of life that keeps her in
this community of Jesus. In the beginning, one follows in order to see;
in the end, she stays with the teacher, He who is called the Lamb of
God and the Messiah. The
terminology is somewhat important, for it is meant as a conclusion to
all John has written: that in believing that Jesus is the Messiah and
Son of God, we may have life in his name, in his person, and in the
gift of his Holy spirit. His call is fundamentally to serve our sisters
and brothers, especially the poor; thus we can clearly see the God revealed
by Jesus much more clearly than the God revealed by the prophets. St.
Paul stresses in the Letter to the Corinthians that the human body,
Christian and otherwise, is for the Lord and certainly not for exploitation
by others, be it in the area of sexuality (to which he is expressly
referring), or in any way. The sexual slavery of millions and millions
of children indicates a total disregard for the sacredness of the human
being. Likewise, our globalized marketplace continues to deprive human
beings of living with human dignity when we see millions of children,
boys and girls, enslaved by child labor practices. We should glorify
God with the body since the glory of God is a human being living a full
life in dignity and harmony. The
gospel readings of Mark which we will read in the coming Sundays of
Ordinary Time will continue these thoughts … that taking care of the
body is a sacred obligation essential for the full acceptance of the
gift of creation and for the greater gift of the incarnation of the
Spirit in the human family. Such care should not be an obsession with
oneself but rather a Samaritan concern for our wounded and afflicted
neighbors’ bodies, such as concern for the body of the weak brother
or sister who is hungry and sick. Since we as Christians are the Body
of Jesus we are able to see in this body the true “temple of God”. We
must see ourselves as a ‘mysterious presence’ in the Body of Christ.
So the concept of the “Body of Christ” must be understood as the bodies
of all human beings, especially the sick, the imprisoned and all those
crucified throughout history. For Personal Consideration: “Come
and you will see him,” Jesus tells the people who want to know him,
and that is precisely what “Where do you live?” means. Jesus is transparent;
he does not tell them where he lives, nor does he give them a map, because
he wishes to give them a theoretical lesson. He simply says, “Come and
see.” Do I have that same transparency, that same free accessibility
without complications? Am I that well disposed to others? For the Group’s Consideration -
The reference to the vocation of Samuel is a “reference to vocation”
typical of the Old Testament. Let us probe its deep meanings: let us
afterwards make a more critical commentary: -
Does God call us with voices? Do we need to have at least paranormal
phenomena? Can I say that God calls me even without a physical or psychic
call? Let us form a synthesis: What does it mean that God “calls?” -
The chapter on sexuality expounds the basic tenets of church moral theology.
Daily we perceive the chasm between the concept of sexuality prevalent
in our society and that which follows the teaching or preaching of Christian
morality that does not change. Let us make a list of the factors that
have created this chasm in our midst. Let us also make a list of the
chief fundamental principles that a Christian should hold very clear. Prayers of the Faithful -
That the church may always be a place of encounter between God and human
beings. We pray to the Lord. -
That we may never look for excuses at a moment when we should minister
to persons in need. -
That we may always be attentive to the word of God, hold it close and
revere it in our lives and put it into practice with diligence. Let
us pray … -
That the cause of the poor, of the weak and those in need be always
our cause, as it was that of Jesus. We pray … --That
we may always be attentive to the calls of the Lord and be well disposed
to respond promptly. We pray … Let Us Pray Almighty
God, our loving Mother and Father who watches over us and all creation
with love, listen to this prayer which we pray full of confidence in
you, and make all the days of our lives a constant effort that your
kingdom may be ever present among us. You who live and have life forever
and ever. Amen |
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