A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” – 1 Samuel 3:8

After a long busy day at work, I retreated to the den to relax and watch TV. I was so exhausted that the whole scenario of me sitting down on the couch felt like this: (Cue dramatic music.)

       I folded my knees to form a sitting position. As I allowed the force of the earth to push me back, the magical couch embraced my whole being. Then, the angels started singing “Alleluia” in chorus while fireworks went off in the background, coloring the sky with different hues. I closed my eyes to soak in all the comfort of the moment, wanting to stay there unmoving forever, until... “Pia, pabukas naman ng electric fan o,” (please turn on the fan) my dad says. (Cut dramatic music.)

       When Samuel repeatedly heard what he thought was the call of Eli, he never hesitated to get up even if it wasn’t convenient.  Same with Jesus in today’s Gospel. He could have stayed in solitude with His father, but when the disciples called Him, He immediately got up and set forth to the next town to preach.

       God reminds us today that He does not call us when we are ready. Sharing in God’s mission means we are on call 24/7, convenient or not, tired or rested, worthy or unworthy. This is what it means to follow Jesus. The question is, do we respond or do we pretend that we are asleep? Pia Angelica Suiza (piasuiza@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Do you do whatever God tells you to do?

Father God, give me the humility to hear Your voice every day. Fill my heart with obedience that I may follow You wherever You lead me. Amen.

St. Paul the Hermit, pray for us.

Maybe we all have a little bit of Samuel in us. Like him, we are reluctant to think that the Lord would actually call us and give us directions for our life. This is not true. It is at the very heart of God that He has a plan for each of us and He will take any opportunity we give Him to tell us about it.

1 During the time young Samuel was minister to the Lord under Eli, a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent. 2 One day Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see. 3 The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. 4 The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” 5Samuel 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. 6 Again the Lord called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “You called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.” 7 At that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet. 8 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. 9 So Eli 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, 10 the Lord came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 19 Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. 20 Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the Lord.

1 [2] I have waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. 4 [5] Blessed the man who makes the Lord his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood. (R) 6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; 7 [8] then said I, “Behold I come.” (R) “In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. 8 [9] To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” (R) 9 [10] I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know. (R)

Jesus must have been an incredibly charismatic person. He healed the sick,  drove out demons and performed all sorts of other miracles. He also spoke well. People came to see Him from near and far. This is the power and attraction of the Gospel lived in truth without compromise. Let us pray that our own lives will give similar witness to the Good News of our salvation.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord. I know them, and they follow me.

29 On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. 31 He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. 32 When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. 33 The whole town was gathered at the door. 34 He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. 35 Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and those who were with him pursued him 37 and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” 39 So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

think:  It is at the very heart of God that He has a plan for each of us and He will take any opportunity we give Him to tell us about it.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Matthew 1-3  

SAINT OR FOOL?

St. Arnold Janssen is the founder of the Society of Divine Word (SVD), the congregation I belong to, and whose feast day the Church celebrates today. Nobody who knew Fr. Janssen would have thought he would become the founder of three worldwide missionary congregations: the SVD, the Holy Spirit Sisters, and the Pink Sisters.

       He was a dry teacher of mathematics and did not impress those who met him. When he told a bishop about his plan to open a seminary for missionaries, the bishop told his secretary, “He is either a saint or a fool.”

       But he was a man of prayer and, like the four brothers in yesterday’s Gospel, he heard the call of God while teaching science. He realized that the Word of God, not science, would transform the world into a better place. Against all odds he started his work. In his native Germany, he was not allowed to establish a mission house because of the political situation. So, he crossed the border into Holland, where he acquired an abandoned pub and transformed it into his first mission house. The first few followers were not always happy with his strict style and some soon left him.

       Rome was also not happy because of the strange name he chose for his community: Society of the Divine Word. But he was convinced that it was God’s will to name his missionary society after the Divine Word. After all, their main task was to spread the Word of God throughout the world.

       To become a missionary, one does not have to leave home and go to faraway countries. The Pink Sisters stay behind the walls of their convents, but they are very effective missionaries by praying for the Church, day and night, before the Blessed Sacrament. May this feast of St. Arnold Janssen inspire you to join the missionary work of the Church through your prayer and support of missionaries. One of the last statements of Jesus was, “Go into the whole world and spread the Good News.” He wanted His Church to be a missionary Church — and you are a part of it! Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you aware that, as a Christian, you are supposed to be a missionary? How can you fulfill this task more effectively?

Lord, You chose an unassuming mathematics teacher to become the founder of three missionary congregations. May his example inspire us to become missionaries for the Church.