DISCIPLESHIP... and its costs

Second Sunday In Ordinary Time Year B

It-2 Ħadd tas-Sena ‘B’

Messalin ‘B’ pp 346

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Reading 1 

1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19

Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I did not call you, " Eli said. "Go back to sleep." So he went back to sleep. Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. "Here I am, " he said. "You called me." But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep." At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet. The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ewwel Ktieb ta' Samwel 3, 3b-10, 19

F'dak iż-żmien, Samwel kien mimdud fit-tempju tal-Mulej, fejn kien hemm l-arka ta' Alla. Il-Mulej sejjaħ:  "Samwel!"   U dan wieġeb:  "Hawn jien!" U mar jiġri għand Għeli u qallu:  "Hawn jien," qallu, "għalfejn  sejjaħtli?"  "Ma sejjahtlekx,"  wieġeb, "erġa' mur imtedd." U raġa' mar jorqod. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ:  "Samwel!"   U Samwel qam u mar  għand Għeli u qallu:  "Hawn Jien! Għalfejn sejjaħtli?" "Ma sejjaħtlikx, ibni," wieġeb, "erġa' mur orqod."   Samwel kien għadu ma għarafx il-Mulej, u anqas kienet għadha ma ttgħarrfitlu l-kelma tal-Mulej. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ:  "Samwel!" għat-tielet darba. U dan qam, u mar għand Għeli, u qallu:  "Hawn jien!  Għalfejn sejjaħtli?"  U Għeli fehem li l-Mulej kien  qiegħed isejjah iż-żgħażugħ.  U qal lil Samwel: "Mur orqod.  Jekk jerġa' jsejjaħlek wieġeb: Tkellem, Mulej, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma'." U Samwel mar jorqod f'postu. U l-Mulej ġie, waqaf ħdejh, u sejjaħ bħal drabi oħra: "Samwel!  Samwel!"  U wieġeb Samwel:   "Tkellem, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma'." Samwel kiber, u l-Mulej kien miegħu, u ma ħalla ebda kelma milli qal tmur fix-xejn. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm             

Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

R. (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

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.

"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.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.     R.

Salm Responsorjali                                                                                              

Salm 39(40)

           

            R/   Hawn jien, Mulej, ġej nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Ittamajt b'tama qawwija fil-Mulej!

hu niżel ħdejja u sama' l-għajta tiegħi.

Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,

għanja ta' tifħir lil Alla tagħna.                          R/

Int ma titgħaxxaqx b'sagrifiċċji u offerti;

imma widnejja inti ftaħtli;

ma tlabtnix vittmi tal-ħruq u tat-tpattiija.

Imbagħad jien għedt:  "Hawn jien, ġej!"          R/

"Fil-bidu tal-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi

li nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Alla tiegħi, dan jogħġboni;

il-liġi tiegħek ġewwa qalbi."                             R/

Xandart il-ġustizzja f'ġemgħa kbira;

Xufftejja ma  żammejthomx magħluqa.

Mulej, dan inti tafu.                                          R/

Reading 2                       

1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20

Brothers and sisters: The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the  body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 6, 13c-15a, 17-20

Ħuti, il-ġisem mħuwiex għaż-żina iżda għall-Mulej, u l-Mulej huwa għall-ġisem.   U Alla qajjem il-Mulej u jqajjem lilna ukoll bil-qawwa tiegħu. Ma tafux li l-iġsma tagħkom huma membri ta' Kristu? Min jingħaqad mal-Mulej hu ruħ waħda miegħu. Aħarbu ż-żina!   Kull dnub li wieħed jagħmel hu 'l barra minn ġismu, iżda min jagħmel iż-żina jkun qiegħed jidneb kontra ġismu stess. Jew ma tafux li ġisimkom hu tempju ta' Ispirtu s-Santu, li jinsab jgħammar fikom, li għandkom minn Alla? Ma tafux li intom m'intomx tagħkom infuskom?

Bil-għoti kontu mixtrija!  Mela agħtu ġieħ lil Alla permezz ta' ġisimkom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                               

John 1:35-42

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" - which translated means Teacher -, "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" - which is translated Christ -.Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas" - which is translated Peter. This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju

Qari skont San Ġwann 1, 35-42

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni kien hemm ma' tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu. Ħares lejn Ġesu' li kien għaddej minn hemm, u qal: "Araw il-Ħaruf ta' Alla."   Iż-żewġ dixxipli semgħuh igħid dan, u marru wara Ġesu'. Ġesu' dar u rahom mexjin warajh, u qalilhom: "Xi tridu?"   Iżda huma staqsewh:   "Rabbi" li tfisser, Mgħallem – "fejn toqgħod?." Hu weġibhom:  "Ejjew u taraw,"    U marru miegħu u raw fejn kien joqgħod, u  dak in-nhar baqgħu miegħu.   Kien ħabta  tal-erbgħa ta'  waranofsinhar. Wieħed mit-tnejn li semgħu x'kien qal Ġwanni u marru wara Ġesu' kien Indri', ħu Xmun Pietru. L-ewwel ma għamel mar isib lil ħuh Xmun u qallu: "Sibna l-Messija" – li tfisser Kristu.   U ħadu għand Ġesu', Ġesu' ħares lejh u qallu:   "Inti Xmun, bin Ġwanni.  Inti tissejjaħ Kefa" – jew Pietru. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Cost of Our Discipleship

Commentary by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Reflecting on Sunday's readings, especially the call of Samuel and of Andrew and his brother, I remembered something that the German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from his prison in Nazi Germany, that "only by living unreservedly in this life's duties, problems, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities ... does one become a man and a Christian." Bonhoeffer experienced what he called so poignantly "the cost of discipleship."

The Prophet Samuel and Andrew and Simon Peter experienced this cost in their own lives. First let us consider the story of Samuel's call -- a dramatic story exemplifying the dynamics of God's call, and offering to us a model to follow in our own lives. Eli was old and nearly blind. His sons, who were the priests of the temple, had been unfaithful to God. Their time was nearing an end, so God called Samuel to begin a new era.

Samuel needed help in discerning his call, and Eli's wisdom and friendship with the young man were necessary so that Samuel could really hear the Lord's voice. Once Samuel recognized that it was truly the Lord who was calling him, he became the great prophet who would discern God's will regarding religious, social and political matters for the people.

In the Gospel story for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, it is Jesus who takes the initiative or the first step. His question to the disciples is intriguing: "What are you looking for?" (1:38). Far from any simple interrogation, these words are deeply religious and theological questions. "Why" Jesus asks, "are you turning to me for answers?" They ask him, "Teacher, where do you live? Where do you stay?" (verse 38). The verb "live," "stay," "remain," "abide," "dwell," "lodge," occurs 40 times in the Fourth Gospel. It is a verb that expresses concisely John's theology of the indwelling presence.

The disciples are not only concerned about where Jesus might sleep that night, but they are really asking where he has his life. Jesus responds to them: "Come and see" (verse 39). Two loaded words throughout John's Gospel -- to "come" to Jesus is used to describe faith in him (cf John 5:40; 6:35. 37.45; 7:37). For John, to "see" Jesus with real perception is to believe in him.

The disciples began their discipleship when they went to see where he was staying and "they stayed on with him that day" (John 1:39). They responded to his invitation to believe, discovered what his life was like, and they "stayed on"; they began to live in him, and he in them. After Andrew had grown in his knowledge of who Jesus was, he "found his brother" Peter and "brought him to Jesus (verses 41,42). This whole experience will be fulfilled when the disciples see his glory on the cross.

What can we learn from the call stories in Sunday's readings? We are never called for our own sake, but for the sake of others. Israel was called by God for the benefit of the godless around it. God calls all Christians for the sake of the world in which we live.

To be called does not require perfection on our behalf, only fidelity and holy listening. Samuel and the prophets of Israel, the fishermen of Galilee and even the tax collectors that Jesus called were certainly not called because of their qualifications or achievements. Paul says that Jesus calls "the foolish," so that the wise will be shamed. It is a dynamic call that involves a total response on our part. We will never be the same because he has called us, loved us, changed us and made us into his image. Because he has called us, we have no choice but to call others to follow him.

How have you been called away from the routine of your life, away from the frustrations of daily life and work? What new purpose do you find emerging in your life because of the ways that God has called you? Through whom have you encountered the call of the Lord in your life? Have you called anyone to follow the Lord recently?

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