SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE B – 2018 

The first reading and the Gospel speak of vocation as call and, of the response of those called.  

BOOK OF  SAMUEL –

·         The two books of Samuel are placed between the book of Judges and the books of Kings. 

·         The two books of Samuel were a single book  and

o    They were among the “Former Prophets” (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings ) in the Jewish tradition

o   Or  among the historical books (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra,  Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther y 1-2 Maccabees) of the Christian tradition.

·         The books of Samuel have been composed from diverse oral and written traditions.   

·         The main theme of the books is the monarchy.   

·         The monarchy could only be understood as under the only kingship of God.  

·         At the same time the monarchy open the way to the messianic hopes.  

FIRST READING   1 Sm 3:3b-10.19

Ø  Samuel has been offered to the Lord by his mother Hannah, in thanksgiving for having conceived and give birth to him, since she was barren. 

Ø  The child lives in the temple under the care of the priest Eli.   

Ø  The author says that Samuel did not know the Lord and his way to relate with humans, thus he does not understand when he hears his name for three times. The boy thought it was Eli who called him.   

Ø  At the beginning Eli does not pay too much attention to the child, but later he realizes that it is Yahweh who is calling the boy. 

Ø  When you hear the voice again say: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”   

Ø  The reading ends praising Samuel, the Lord was with him and not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

Ø  When we read the book we realize how Samuel, after meeting the Lord, develops a friendship and deep intimacy with Him during his whole life.   

Ø  What a beautiful way to answer the call! We all have received a call, let me rephrase: We are all called here and now, the Lord continues to call us during our entire life, and it is our decision to answer or not his call in the diverse situations of our life.  

RESPONSORIAL  PSALM – Ps  40: 2-10

v  . (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

o   This psalm is beautiful, let us reflect on some of the thoughts taken from the verses.   

o   The psalmist waits for the Lord and God has listened  to him and put a hymn to God  in his mouth 

o   God does not want either holocaust or sacrifices, he wants to have us “here I am”

o   The Law of God is in the heart of  the psalmist, his desire is to do the will of God.  

o   I have not been silent; I have announced your justice.  

GOSPEL  Jn 1:35-42

      John the Baptist is with two of his disciples to whom he signals Jesus as the Lamb of God.   

      They follow after him, without saying anything  

      Jesus asks them: what do you seek? I have read a commentary that says: at the beginning of the Gospel of John the question in the lips of Jesus is: what do you seek? And at the end of the Gospel on Resurrection day, the question is: whom do you seek?  

      There has been a process from this first encounter to the resurrection.  

      They ask Him: where do you live? 

      And the answer is: come and see   

      And John tells us that they went and stayed with Him that day.   

      John remembers even the hour of this first encounter, around 4 p.m. 

John was so impressed by this first encounter which changed his life, that even in his old age he remembers it as if it had been yesterday.   

      Yes, who has a true personal encounter with the Lord, will never forget this experience which will guide from that moment his/her life.    

      Andrew, the other disciple who stayed with Jesus that night, goes on the following day to meet his brother Simon and invites him to meet the Teacher Jesus   

      And Jesus gives him a new name, sign of the change of life which will progressively take place in the fisherman from Galilee.  From that moment on he will be called Peter, which means Rock.   

      From that moment on Peter remains enthusiastic with Jesus with whom he begins a great friendship.   

      The fisherman from Galilee, Peter, will have to work hard to assimilate the teachings of the Master, and to become the fundamental rock of the church of Jesus.    

SECOND READING  1Cor 6:13c-15ª, 17-20

ü  Paul reminds the community of Corinth that the body is not for immorality but for the Lord.   

ü  As God raised Jesus he will also raise us up.   

ü  We are united to Christ, and who is united to him has his Spirit within him/her.    

ü  And again Paul asks the community to stay away from immorality, since any sin is outside the body except immorality, which is a sin against our own body.   

ü  Because our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.     

ü 

We have been redeemed at a high price, thus let us glorify God with our body.

 CLARETIAN CORNER

At the end of this vision, or the next day, I do not remember quite will, our Lord told me: “My second apostles must be a living copy of the first Apostles, so as to the name as to the work. With the torch of the Gospel in one hand they must enlighten the wiser and ignorant men”. This God told to MGR. Claret and to the other.

In the morning, on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, after communion our Lord told me that Fr. Claret together with his sons in the order of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, will be the bright star that with their clear and apostolic doctrine will dispel the ignorance of the present century that those who are blinder, I think call century of the enlightenment; His Divine Majesty added: this priest is the first, and I wish that he establishes the first houses of the order. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 31-32

I was trained so well in obedience and resignation that I was always content with whatever was done, decided, or given to me by way of food or clothing. I never remember saying "I don't like this" or "I want that." I was so used to thinking like this that even later, when I was a priest, my mother, who was always very fond of me, used to say, "Anthony, would you like this?" I would always answer, "I always like what you like." "But," she would say, "there are always some things we like better than others." And then I'd say, "Whatever you give me is what I like best of all." And so she died without finding out what material things I liked the best. Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters.  Autobiography 29