The Abbot's Homily

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  • Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
    Cycle B
    2000

    First Reading
    1 Samuel 3:3-10,19


    Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I did not call you," Eli said. "Go back to sleep." So he went back to sleep. Again the Lord called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "You called me." But he answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep." At that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet. The Lord called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" when Samuel went to sleep in his place, the Lord came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

     

    Second Reading
    1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20


    The body is not for immorality; it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. God, who raised up the Lord, will raise us also by his power. Do you not see that your bodies are members of Christ? Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun lewd conduct. Every other sin a man commits is outside his body, but the fornicator sins against his own body. You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within -- the Spirit you have received from God. You are not your own. You have been purchased, and at what a price! So glorify God in your body.

     

    Gospel
    John 1:35-42


    John was in Bethany across the Jordan with two of his disciples. As he watched Jesus walk by he said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard what he said, and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned around and noticed them following him, he asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi (which means Teacher), where do you stay?" "Come and see," he answered. So they went to see where he was lodged, and stayed with him that day. (It was about four in the afternoon.) One of the two who had followed him after hearing John was Simon Peter's brother Andrew. The first thing he did was seek out his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which means the Anointed). He brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John; your name shall be Cephas (which is rendered Peter)."

    Text from Lectionary for Mass
    © 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
    © 1969 International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.
    All rights reserved


    My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

    We are back in Ordinary Time, which means that we are beginning to think about the mystery of Christ from the time of the beginning of his public ministry once again. We begin with the call of his disciples. It is important to note that Jesus does actually call people to follow him. It is not a matter of him simply having a group of people who like him or who like what he says. Rather, Jesus chooses people to follow him. Surely there are those who do follow along, but the important aspect of today's Gospel is that Jesus chooses.

    This is why the first reading today is about God choosing Samuel. Again it is not simply that Samuel was a pious and religious person. No, God actually chooses Samuel for a particular role among his chosen people.

    Most of us probably never reflect much on being chosen, but our faith tells us that each of us is chosen by God for a particular task in this world. Each of us gives a unique glory to God. Our whole perspective on life and on living begins to change when we realize how loved we are by God and that God has created us as a special gift to the world. Our whole meaning consists in becoming that gift to our world.

    We have been purchased at a price, let us glorify God in our bodies and in every aspect of our lives.

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    © 1999 The Monastery of Christ in the Desert