We have found the Messiah – which means the Christ – grace and truth have come through him. JN 1:41,17
1 SAMUEL 3:3-10,19
My Soul's Beloved,
Thrice the Lord called Samuel and each time he ran to Eli mistakenly thinking that it was the priest who called him. Samuel had no way of knowing it was the Lord because Samuel had as yet no knowledge of the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. It was only after the child came to Eli the third time did he realize who was calling Samuel. He instructed him, should he hear the voice again, to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
Grant my Beloved, that like Samuel we lie close to You in Your sanctuary, the place where You dwell and when You call may run to You and say as Samuel did, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ May our whole being say to You always and everywhere, 'Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.' May we grow strong in faith, be filled with Your Spirit, and speak Your Word constantly and faithfully. May Your every Word sown in faith, not fall to the ground without bearing fruit for Your glory and for the glory of Your Kingdom.
PSALM 40:2,4,7-10
My Soul's Beloved,
There is no one in heaven and on earth who has failed to do the will of God as perfectly as You, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Another example of openness and obedience to God's will, even when she did not fully understand it, is Your Mother, Mary.
From both You and Your Mother who is ours as well, we learn to be attuned to the voice of God and on hearing Him to say, 'Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.' When we are humble and obedient and have a listening heart You will stoop lovingly over us. You hear our prayers even before they have left our lips, and You give us a new song of praise to You, our Lord, and our God.
Nothing pleases You more than joyful obedience to Your word and doing all You ask humbly, and faithfully. A simple, wholehearted, generosity of spirit, yielded to You in all things, and readily says, 'Here I am,' is more desirable and acceptable to You than great sacrifices and many offerings.
The Son of God and the Son of Man is our most perfect example in humbly accepting God's will in all things irrespective of what it is that He wills. You show us how, even the most painful and difficult tasks, when done in humility, obedience, and love, will be a joy and a delight simply because God desires it.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-15,17-20
My Soul's Beloved,
Since the fall of Adam, the sin of concupiscence has raged in the flesh of fallen humanity and these sins have caused our world to fall ever deeper into the abyss of darkness, vice, and evil. Our souls are sick even unto death. We were created for abundant and joyous life but we poor creatures are willing captives of our senses over which we exercise little or no control.
St. Paul's letter to the church in Corinth has great relevance for us as well for Your Word is Truth. Our bodies were given to us to glorify God who willingly gave You up to death so we could be raised to life in the power of Your resurrection. Each of the baptized is a member of Your Body and in the very strongest words possible we are reminded of this in today's Liturgy.
The world celebrates the flesh, makes an idol of it, and worships it and it is this unseemly, wanton idolatry that defaces our soul. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, fashioned by God Himself, and created to love Him, worship Him, adore Him, and glorify Him alone through You, His Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Only in this way will we become what God created us to be from the beginning - His children. Let us take seriously the word given to us today and for all time, You are not your own property; you have been bought and paid for. That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.
JOHN 1:35-42
My Soul's Beloved,
John the Baptist pointed to You and said to his disciples, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Their immediate response on hearing the Good News was to follow You. The evangelist goes on to narrate how their encounter with You unfolded.
Jesus turned around and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour.
Andrew on meeting his brother Simon Peter early the next morning said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.
Are we like Andrew? In our lifetime, how many of the large number of people we interact with, will hear the Good News from our lips, from the way we live our lives, from our witness to the faith? If thus far we have failed to do so, beginning with the closest to us, our spouse, our children, our siblings, even our parents, and in ever-widening circles, those around us, we will be held accountable before You for keeping the Good News that saves to ourselves.
This is the time, now is the hour to awake before it is too late.
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