The readings for today, the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011815.cfm
What does it mean for the Church, for us, today to be disciples of Jesus the Lamb of God? Pope Francis says it so eloquently: "It means putting innocence in the place of malice, love in the place of force, humility in the place of pride, service in the place of prestige. It is good work!" Being disciples of the Lamb means that we must not live like a "city under siege," but like a city on a hill, welcoming and in solidarity. It means being open, proposing the gospel to everyone, testifying with our life that following Jesus makes us freer and more joyful. We Christians must put innocence in place of malice, love in the place of force, humility in the place of pride, and service in the place of prestige.
In our readings from Samuel and the Gospel of John, we hear how God calls his people to do His will of bringing the good news to others. As followers of Christ, we are called to proclaim: "We have found the Messiah!" And like Samuel and John, we are called to speak the message of God to others that will change their lives!
The people we are called to share the message of God's love with are those that are already in our lives. We don't need to go traveling to mission territories to share the gospel, but are called to share the message of God with our neighbors, our friends, or our acquaintances at church and all those in our lives. Christ calls us to have actions and words that loudly proclaim that we have found the Messiah! We have to not only "talk the talk", but "walk the walk".
Part of living out the gospel and proclaiming the Messiah to others, we must first look inward. Christ is calling us away from our self-contentedness to that of concern for those around us. Hearing Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, we are called to walk in a new direction. To that of following the Messiah.
When the first disciples heard the Lamb of God, they experienced a true epiphany; they found the Messiah. None of them could contain their excitement in hearing the words of Jesus!
We, like the first disciples, receive a specific call from the Lord to follow and service the Lord in a particular manner. Some are called to ordained ministry. Some are called to the married state to raise children. Some to the single state. In whatever situation we find ourselves, we are called to proclaim the Gospel and to point out the Messiah to others. We all have a vocation, a specific call from the Lord to follow him in a particular way. We all encounter Christ in a truly personal way. We may not recognize the call at first as something extraordinary. It will be only in time that we can recognize the call of God in our lives.
Let us always be open to the way God works in our lives and how he is calling us to share our faith in the Lamb of God with others. We are to be like John the Baptist and point others to Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Amen! The LORD has called me to do speech/language therapy with preschoolers who are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist. Although in my position I cannot teach religion, I show them my love and follow the directive of our beloved St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel always; when necessary, use words.". God has called me to look beyond the race, ethnicity, religion, etc & to see only children & their families in need of my love & my help. MY idea had been full time Church ministry in which I could spend my whole life teaching, singing and/or writing about God specifically. But especially in light of what Islam has come to mean in this day & age, my call to work with & love these innocent children & their parents is a form of evangelization, of being an ambassador for Christ, for Christianity, for the Catholic Church & hopefully play a part in breaking down barriers & building bridges of love.
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