Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

The first story that we hear today comes from the book of Samuel.  It is a book about a tone-deaf tribe whose vision was blurred.

It’s the story of a people who had forgotten how to listen to the Lord’s voice and feel the Lord’s presence in their lives.  They go into battle with the Lord’s own ark and lose it to the Philistines.  A couple of verses before our story of Samuel and Eli, we read about the times in which they lived: “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.”

Not everyone was listening.  Not everyone was seeing.  But then came Samuel.  He was only a boy sleeping in the temple where the ark of God was.  Young Samuel was confused by the Lord’s voice.  He “was not familiar with the Lord.”  In other words, Samuel believed in the Lord, but at a distance, not closely, not intimately.

Samuel thought that his master, Eli, had called out in the night.  Eli’s eyes “had grown so weak that he could not see.”  But the old man still had spiritual vision.  He told Samuel that it was the Lord who was calling him.  From that day on, Samuel became his people’s conscience because of his nearness to God and his listening to God’s voice.

Across this land this weekend, preachers of the gospel will grapple in their homilies to state some clear message about the state of our country and of the world.  We remember the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He galvanized the nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech.  At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pope Francis has some surprising things to say about the state of the world.  He delivered his annual address to ambassadors from 183 nations to the Holy See.  His speech outlined a bold vision for a peaceful, free and just world.  The pope touched on themes that have been in the headlines, like the Middle East and the plight of migrants and refugees.

But he also drilled down on development topics like child labor, global inequality and the threat of technological advances that may put millions of people, especially the poorest, out of work.   He said he considers it the church’s role to “appeal to the principles of humanity and fraternity at the basis of every cohesive and harmonious society.”

Francis framed his address as an opportunity to reflect on the status of human rights around the world in light of the coming anniversary of the United Nation’s 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The pope said there is a “significant relation” between that document and the gospel message.  The pope started his evaluation of rights around the world with the very right to life.

On the issue of nuclear disarmament, Francis praised as “historic” a new U.N. treaty, signed by 122 countries, that calls for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.  Francis has developed the Catholic Church’s official teaching on nuclear weapons in the past year, departing from the church prior acceptance of nuclear deterrence and denouncing the continuing possession of nuclear weapons.

Francis mentioned several other precarious situations in the world by name in his address.  I believe the best that religious leaders can do at this time is to urge people to listen, like Samuel, to the voice of the Lord.  I believe the best we can do is to urge everyone to see, to “read the signs of the times” in nearness to the Lord, to pray for what we Catholics have called an “informed conscience.”

Paul A. Magnano

Pastor