When, in the First Book of Samuel, the Lord calls to Samuel, in the night, the young man assumes it is his mentor, the temple priest Eli, who is calling him. Samuel’s first response is a response, but not a focused one: Here I am!, he says. Three times Samuel responds in this way, until finally, Eli realizes that it is the Lord who is calling the young man, and instructs him on how to respond. Samuel’s fourth response demonstrates that he is focused on the Lord who is calling: Speak, your servant is listening. Samuel is not only attentive and listening to God, he is also ready to act. Like Samuel, the psalmist knows that the Lord needs more than anything our willingness to listen and to hear and to act; ears open to obedience you gave me, we hear in Psalm 40. Our ability to then give thanks is also God’s gift, a new song in our mouths, a proclamation we are to internalize first, and then proclaim to our world. Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will!
In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist sends his disciples to follow Jesus, the Lamb of God, the one through whom salvation will come. Like Samuel, Andrew and Simon are open to the call of Jesus, ready to listen, ready to act. They recognize something in Jesus – a revelation – and call him Rabbi as a sign of their acceptance to follow him. They are graced, and that grace is a gift, although they have a long way to go in order to come to understand who Jesus is. Their knowledge will broaden and deepen over time, as it is still broadening and deepening for us and for those around us. The revelation is still unfolding. The disciples will learn, as Paul encourages the Corinthians to learn, that they are to be members of the same Body – your bodies are members of Christ – and must recognize their connection to one another, surrendering their self-focus for the good of all. But first, they have to listen, to open their hearts and prepare to act, for the body is for the Lord. They must say, Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will!
Can we mark the moment God first spoke to us? Are we listening and attentive? And when called, are we ready to act? God gives us a new song, the ability to praise him and proclaim his marvelous deeds. We are called to behold the Lamb of God, the one who makes all possible in our lives – we are called to know him and to participate in his life. We are called, in short, to say, as Samuel does, as Andrew and Simon and the beloved disciple also do, Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
