Homily — 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Homily — 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

1 Samuel 3:3-10.19 1 Corinthians 6:13-20 John 1:35-42

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

Some years ago, before I entered the seminary, I worked in the public relations office of a large Philadelphia bank. One of my co-workers was an elderly British gentlemen by the name of Gerald. He was rather eccentric, but he was a devoted Catholic, and since I was a new convert to the Catholic Faith myself, we had a lot in common. At the time, I was considering trying a vocation to the monastic life, and was looking forward to the day I could enter the monastery. In our conversations, Gerald seemed to know an awful lot about monasticism—much more than the ordinary Catholic. He knew all the lingo, the customs and traditions, almost as well, if not better, than most of the monks I had met. So one day, I confronted Gerald in his office. "Gerald," I asked him, "did you have a vocation?" He looked straight at me and said something I will never forget. "Dear friend," he said, "we all of us have a vocation."

Our readings today are about vocation—about how God calls his people. The first reading, tells the story of Samuel’s vocation. The Gospel tells about how the first disciples were called. The second reading speaks of an essential ingredient to fulfilling any vocation. As we reflect on this mystery, we realize that there are, indeed, special vocations—for example the call to be a prophet like Samuel, or the call to be an apostle like John, Andrew and Peter. Today, when we think of vocations, we generally think of the call to the priesthood, the diaconate, or the consecrated life of religious sisters and brothers. Certainly we pray that more men and women would respond to God’s call and embrace these special states in life, while at the same time, not forgeting married life and the crucial vocation of the Christian family. As it turns out, my friend Gerald, when he was a young man in England, actually did spend two years in the Carthusian novitiate (the Carthusians are the most strict order in the Church). But what he said to me in the bank that day still holds true: all of us have a vocation.

This vocation which we all share has come to be known as the "universal call to holiness." Perhaps the fathers of the Second Vatican Council said it best when they wrote: "The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and every one of His disciples of every condition....The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace....Thus it is evident to everyone, that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity."

There are several things we can learn about this call from today’s readings. First, it comes directly from God. It took a while before Samuel recognized who was calling him; but when he did, God revealed to him his purpose for his life. Secondly, God’s call is given as a loving invitation—he forces himself on no one—he makes the offer, and waits for us to respond. Notice with what tenderness he answers the question of Andrew and John in today’s Gospel. "Rabbi, where are you staying?" And Jesus answered them, "come, and you will see." He left the ball in their court, to follow him or not. But in choosing to do so, they at once became his followers—his disciples.

The third thing we notice is that following Christ means self-denial—giving ourselves over for the good of others in sacrifice. After all, this is what John the Baptist meant when he points to Jesus and says, "behold, the Lamb of God." Whether they know it or not, John and Andrew follow Jesus precisely because he is God’s sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter for the salvation of the world. They will give their lives as well, in total self-denial and even in martyrdom. The next thing we notice is that a true vocation always wants to be shared with others. Andrew immediately goes to his brother Simon and invites him to follow Jesus as well. Simon comes and his name is changed to Cephas or Peter. And this is the last thing we notice from today’s Gospel: that vocation transforms us. The change from "Simon" to "Peter" designated not just a new name, but a new life—a new creation in Christ. In that moment, Simon the brother of Andrew becomes Peter—the rock upon which Christ will build his Church.

Today’s second reading from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, is not perhaps directly related to the mystery of vocation, but it does present us with a necessary condition for fulfilling the universal call to holiness. "Brothers and sisters," Paul writes, "the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.... Do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body." In order to fulfill our vocation—whether it is the vocation to holiness which is paramount, or whether it is our particular vocation of marriage, priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life—we must turn away from all immorality. We must keep our hearts, minds and bodies pure. In doing so, we will always be ready to serve the Lord, to follow him faithfully and to lead others to follow him as well. The news of the last year or so gives us a terrible example of what happens when the words of Saint Paul are ignored. A few of my brother priests failed miserably in this area of purity; they destroyed their own vocation and in the process destroyed the vocations and lives of many others—directly and indirectly.

On the other hand, throughout history there have been thousands of faithful souls—Christian men and women who, with God’s grace, have lived pure and holy lives. Some are canonized saints, many are not, and a few are our own friends and relatives. All of them are beacons of light in this dark world. All of them give testimony in their lives that the following of Christ is the path to true happiness and peace.

Our blessed Lord invites each one of us, "come and you will see." It would be foolish to refuse so loving an invitation, yet the choice is ours to make. We can choose to follow Jesus, or we can choose to follow our own way. One path leads to happiness and life, the other to misery and death. Make the right choice. Answer his call. Turn from immorality. Follow the Lord.