2ND SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME B
YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND
CONSECRATED PERSONS
JANUARY 14, 2018
Jesus, I trust in you!
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| Behold the Lamb of God |
The Lord called Samuel as he slept in the Temple. Twice, Samuel thought that the high priest Eli was calling for him because he was not yet familiar with the Lord. Eli taught Samuel that the next time the Lord calls him, he should say: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
John the Baptist taught his
disciples. Eli taught Samuel, The disciples followed Jesus and Samuel responded
to the Lord. We have here the beginnings of priestly and religious vocations.
Vocation is a call coming from the Lord. It is a call to live a life the Lord
which the Lord offers a person. Some are called to the married life. Others are
called to single blessedness. Others are called to follow the Lord more closely
in the priesthood and in the consecrated life. In all these vocations, the Lord
begins by asking the person: What are you looking for? The question addresses
the deepest desire of the human heart. What do you want to do with your life?
Where do you think life is leading you? What will satisfy you?
The answer of the disciples was a
simple question: Lord, where are you staying? We want to stay close to you. We
want to follow you because perhaps, you are the one we seek. Perhaps, you are
the one answer to all our longings. And the Lord responds: Come and see. Come
and see for yourself where I live. Come and see for yourself who am I. Come and
see for yourself where true happiness comes from.
The disciples were not mistaken
when they stayed with the Lord. In fact, Andrew returned home and joyfully said
to Simon his brother: We have found the Messiah! This is the joyful affirmation
of everyone who ventured to follow the Lord: We have found him! There is joy in
following the Lord! People who have taken courage to follow the Lord will
testify with great joy: We have found the Messiah!
“Many people, including many of the
young, have lost sight of the meaning of their lives and are anxiously
searching for the contemplative dimension of their being. They do not realize
that Christ, through his Church, can respond to their expectations.”
(Evangelica Testificatio, 45.) Christ can respond to the emptiness in the lives
of many people. This is why we must teach our young people how to listen for
the Lord’s call. We must teach them about Jesus so that they can be familiar
with his ways. Interiority is important in discerning the Lord’s call. “The
interior man is aware that times of silence are demanded by love of God. As a
rule, he needs a certain solitude so that he may hear God ‘speaking to his
heart.’” (ET, 46.) The reason why so many people live empty lives is because
they were never taught how to pray. They try pursuing fulfillment by burying
their interior emptiness through the noise of shallow entertainment. And yet,
the emptiness is not filled. Authentic joy seems always evasive.
The only solution to this emptiness
is by developing an interior life. We should ask the Lord: Lord, where are you
staying. I wish to spend some time with you. I wish to stay in your house.
Please speak to me, Lord. Tell me what you want. Your servant is listening. In
you alone, Lord, will my heart find rest.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!
Father Joe:
ReplyDeleteNamessage ko na po ito sa Office of Communication two weeks ago and they said that nirelay nila sa Liturgy Office pero wala pa rin pong sagot. Alam ko pong hindi kayo under ng Archdiocese of Manila pero di po nila sinasagot ang tanong ko. Ito po yung minessage ko sa kanila pati sa Liturgy Office na nangseen lang sa akin nang ilang beses.
Good morning!
I just want to ask bakit hindi ang local ordinary (archbishop) ang naglead ng midnight mass sa traslacion and he attended just as a homilist and "in choro"? I have ssen this practice was started last year. The Ceremonial of Bishops discourage this practice stating nonverbatim that:
1. When the bishop is present, he shpuld preside the mass;
2. Some situations where #1 may not be observed is when for example a priest is celebrating his ordination anniversary or thanksgiving mass, but the case with Traslacion is it is a public Church event with the people. The mass being presided by the bishop is a good opportunity to see the hoerarchy of the Church, not for greater external solemnity.
3. If a priest is the main celebrant and a bishop is present, the bishop should be the one introducing and concluding the prayers of the faithful and the one to impart the final blessing.
Okay lang sana kung ibang bishop yung maglelead and nandun si Cardinal Tagle as a concelebrant, but having a priest as main celebrant and the Archbishop and the Apostolic Nuncio just there attending in choro, I think, is a lost opportunity for the bishop to shepherd his flock.
I hope for answers po sa question ko. Thank you