Verbum Dei UK

MEDITATION

The readings this Sunday are about how God calls us to seek Him and to help others in their search.

Some may complain that the Good News of our faith was never clearly delivered to them, but did we ever put ourselves out to really seek it? Peter and company ask Jesus "where do you live?". That was a long time ago in Galilee , but the truth is that we can enjoy the very real company of Christ now. We can live with Him - ask Him in to live with us – in us. His Word is alive. He is the Word that became flesh (John 1:14 ). He's still very much alive. When you begin to give some time and attention to the Bible, and meditate what it has to do with your life from Monday to Friday and for the next ninety years, then it does actually inspire a lot. It's got a lot to do with what's going to happen after those ninety years! It's not in a newspaper or on the T.V.. That's not how Love wins hearts.

The Gospel today begins with John the Baptist saying “There goes the lamb of God”, and that’s actually a reference to the eventual human death of Jesus, because the age-old Jewish way of calling on God at the beginning of the escape from slavery (Exodus) was by the sacrifice of a lamb!

The first reading is about how Samuel listened. The second is about the way the world offers deceptive alternatives.

The Gospel contains the clinch-pin: "Rabbi, where are you staying?". If the answer you understand is: "I'd like to stay with 'you' - and have you with me", then perhaps a genuine Christian life is beginning. That discovery was a great joy in my life. The Gospel says: 'It was about four in the afternoon', and that may seem an insignificant detail, but I like it as a symbol of how memorable good moments of prayer can be.

Andrew went to find his brother Simon etc, and he became St Peter, the first Pope (the name 'Kephas' and 'Peter', both meant 'Rock', and as you know, Jesus later said "On this rock I will build my Church" (Matthew 16:17-18 ). The question to us is 'do we really seek out our brothers, to get the News of Christ across to them?'. It's when we go about doing that that the News really comes across to us ourselves. It's not some kind of fancy fairy-tale, and it brings challenges, but the marvel is, that the joy eventually comes true. If you ever attend the ceremony where missionaries take their 'Vows', then you'll hear clearly: "Here I am. You called me". That's quoting Samuel in today's first reading. We don't say "Here I am because I myself on my own decided to put ‘missionary’ on my C.V.". It's a call from Christ. The decision starts with Him. But do we listen well? I used to syringe people's ears as a doctor to get the wax out, but I'd love to have a dewaxed ear and heart myself (sin-cere)! Let's ask God in our hearts today, "What is the call to me?"... And "by the way, where do you live? Where do I live? Can I live in you please?!”

It's good to seek to know Christ more and more, because the really wise people are the ones who appreciate that they still need to learn a lot!

Dara