2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2015

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
by Deacon Dave Lesieur

John the Baptist is introduced right away in John’s gospel after the preamble: "There was a man named John sent by God, who came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all people might believe…." (1:6). Today John the Baptist is fulfilling his mission as he points his disciples in Jesus’ direction, "Behold, the Lamb of God."

The Jews listening would have known John’s meaning of “Lamb” was twofold: First; at Passover, the lamb was slaughtered in the Temple It is Passover lamb (Ex 12) and the ritual that celebrated the Israelites’ liberation from the Egyptians. The lamb was sacrificed and saved the people from the Angel of death – as those later hearing the gospel knew Jesus did on the cross. That lamb is consumed at the Passover meal – as the body of Jesus will be offered to his disciples at the Last Supper and as we will do in a few minutes. And secondly; at Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – A lamb or goat would was sent into the wilderness after having been symbolically loaded with the sins of the community that had raised it. The lamb takes away the sins of the community... and Jesus the attoning Lamb of God takes away the sin of the World.

So, if the two disciples choose to follow the one the Baptist is pointing out and calling "The Lamb of God," they are already receiving big hints of the difficulties that lie ahead and also the ultimate victory they will have in choosing to "stay" with Jesus. Jesus’ invitation to the disciples, "Come and you will see," was a promise of a life-changing event for them.

Andrew and young John, first made cautious baby steps towards Jesus. They follow him for a while until Jesus turns and asks them, "What you looking for?" Jesus doesn’t waste time; he gets to the core of the issue. He doesn’t ask, "Who are you?" "What are your names?" But, "What are you looking for?" The disciples’ response to Jesus’ question begins with the title "Teacher." The disciples next ask where Jesus is "staying" and, implied in their question, is their desire for the life Jesus will teach and share with them.

Jesus’ question to the disciples is the one he puts to us: "What are YOU looking for?" He is asking a very important question, getting us to focus on the core purpose of our lives. What are our priorities? Where did we get them? Are they based on Jesus and his teaching? If so, how do they affect the course of our lives? Do our choices reflect the one we have chosen to follow? Put in church speak – Jesus speaks the word of invitation “come, stay with me” – it is a calling or ‘Vocatio’ - and our proper response, our answer when we follow Christ is called our Vocation…

Fr. Henri Nouwen wrote: “Too many people miss Jesus’ question and invitation and instead we listen to the competing voices in our world that want to distract us. Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, “What are you really looking for?” That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires a strong determination to listen. (That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that says: "My Beloved - come stay with me.")” Our prayer to find what we are looking for in our lives, our particular vocation, should begin with that of the young Samuel in our first reading… “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening.”

In our prayer before mass with our servers the priest’s blessing is: “May God give the grace to know your true vocation in life and the courage to follow it with your whole heart.” EACH ONE OF US HAS A VOCATION IN LIFE… We are placed where we are in God’s plan and our response must be to listen and act – It is a temptation from the evil one to waste one’s life away not moving an inch and waiting for God to literally point me in the right direction. Might it be that he may have placed you where you need to be? Maybe the creator of the Universe has a place in his plan for all his creatures???? But he also gave you the free will to say yes and follow him, or to stay stuck in the mud. For some the mud is a too comfortable place.

St. Francis DeSales was a great spiritual director and in his instruction on leading the devout life he encourages his directees to;

1. “Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly! Be who you are and be that well.”

2. “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.”

OK, I try to be myself - so what is my vocation? - We pray for ‘Vocations’ so often in Church and usually it is for priesthood and the religious life… I always throw in the diaconate if our prayer writers forget! But when I pray for vocations it is for all of us to be who we are called to be and to be that well… Parenthood (my top vocation), marriage, priesthood, the diaconate and religious life, consecrated single life, professionals who serve the world around them – all of us have a vocation… It is being who / what we are in the best way we can, consecrated to our Lord… We are all equipped by God to do what we are called to do. So be yourself! It’s very liberating!

There will most likely be no special signs from heaven or locutions calling us to our vocation in life. But if, like John the Baptist, our life has integrity, then the simple testimony of how we live our lives will be more than enough to attract others to "Come and see." That’s what a vocation well lived does! It’s attractive!

I often like to turn to a great spiritual master and personal hero to me Thomas Merton (Fr. Louis) – that 20^th century Trappist contemplative (you should read Thomas Merton – I picked up his books – starting with the Seven Story Mountain in my later-twenties and it inspired me.) Listen to what he has to say about that usual state of confusion about our direction and vocation as I conclude with his prayer from ‘Thoughts in Solitude’: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor, do I really know myself; and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” Amen

“What are you looking for?”