Who says that men never ask for directions?

Homily for January 18, 2015 (2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, B)
1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42

Who says that men never ask for directions?

In today’s gospel reading, when two of John the Baptist’s disciples began to follow Jesus in response to John identifying him as “the Lamb of God,” Jesus asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They responded with a question of their own:  “Rabbi, where are you staying?”

Jesus said simply, “Come and see.”  Instead of giving them the name or description of a place, he gave them—and gives us—an invitation and a challenge to follow him.  It’s not about a place but about a person and a process of discipleship that began with our baptism and continues throughout our lives.  As Pope Francis and his predecessors have pointed out numerous times, just as we share in Jesus’ mission of evangelization, proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed, so we must always be ready to be evangelized ourselves.  It may be through a personal encounter with Jesus; it may be through others; or it may be through reflection on our own ministries (failures as well as successes).  It is often through trial and error.

In our first reading we found young Samuel, who had been dedicated to the service of the Lord by his grateful mother Hannah, ministering in the temple of the Lord under the tutelage of the priest, Eli, whose own sons had proven themselves unworthy of the ministry.  It was a time when visions from the Lord were few (1 Samuel 3:1-2), and Samuel was still unfamiliar with God’s ways.  So when God initially called him, he mistakenly thought it was Eli.  Then he repeated the mistake!  Finally, when Eli realized what was going on, he guided Samuel to respond, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  The passage concludes by noting that, “Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him….”

Just as God walked with Samuel and Jesus walked with his disciples, so we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit:  God walking with each of us and with the Church as we strive to make God’s reign of love, justice and peace more and more real in a world that often lives by different values.  In our second reading, we are reminded that one of the challenges that we face today is an ancient one:  a healthy and balanced consideration of our bodies.

The Greek city of Corinth was a strategic port in the Roman Empire.  It served as a gateway between East and West not only in the world of trade but also in the world of ideas.  Among these were philosophies that led to two extremes:  an idealization or idolatry of the body on one hand, and a denigration or disregard of the body on the other.  Sound familiar?  In the midst of this maelstrom of self-indulgence and self-destruction, Paul reminded them that, “The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,” and that their bodies were “a temple of the Holy Spirit” given to them by God.  It’s a message that we most powerfully share by treating our bodies well and realizing that they are ultimately God’s gifts and channels of God’s goodness and grace. +