Call and Response

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Infant Jesus, make me respond to your call, listening to your voice in the poor and the sick. Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God’s call can come to us at any moment, in any place and in any circumstance. Samuel’s dramatic call to service, as narrated in today’s first reading (1 Sam. 3:3b-10,19) is an example of that. Just as Eli mentored Samuel on his way, so may we need assistance in understanding and responding to God’s call.

In the 2nd reading (1Cor.6:13-15,17-20) Paul talks about some of the responsibilities inherent in the privilege of Christian vocation. Called by God, and baptized into the life of Jesus and the church, believers thereby become temples where the Holy Spirit comes to take up permanent residence. The privilege of becoming a sacred place, a sacred person, requires that the believer live accordingly.

The gospel (Jn:35-42) gives us the vocation experiences of the first disciples. Those who are called by God are called to a life of seeking and searching for God’s will and God’s ways. Those willing to risk and venture into the unknown will, however, find a home in Him. Notice how the evangelist describes the evolution of a vocation. (1) Someone points the way (John the Baptist witnesses to Jesus); (2) the motives of those called are questioned (“what are you looking for?”); (3) those called admit of their desire for belonging (“Rabbi, where do you stay?”); (4) the challenge of commitment is issued (“come and see”); (5) in their response to that challenge, those called also accept to live accordingly to a new reality (“your name will be Peter”) and within the embrace of a new relationship (“they stayed with him”); (6) having become aware of the gracious gift of vocation those called then reach out to share the joy of that experience with others (“he sought out his brother to tell him, we have found the Messiah”)

In our individual and communal mindsets, we regard the vocations of prophets, apostles, priests, nuns, etc. as special calls. Prompted by the renewal of the Second Vatican Council, we have come to understand that the gift of vocation is an experience afforded by God, not just to a special few, but to all. Indeed all are called by God, all are invited to respond to God and to make their entire life’s work a necessary and integral part of their response to God.