Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass Readings

• First Reading 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19
• Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
• Second Reading 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
• Gospel John 1:35-42

Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →

Step Into the Story

Around 1050 B.C. Israel’s sanctuary stood at Shiloh, some twenty miles north of the future Jerusalem. The priest Eli was old and nearly blind, his sons were scoundrels, and “the word of the Lord was rare in those days.” So God woke a boy sleeping near the Ark, and Samuel answered as the old priest taught him: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Paul, writing to Corinth around 54 A.D., reminds its converts that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

1. c. 1050 B.C.Samuel hears God at Shiloh
2. 4 B.C.Antipas rules Galilee
3. 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
4. 26 A.D.Pilate becomes prefect
5. This week’s scene: c. 28 A.D.“Come and see”

Stand by the Jordan, probably in 28 A.D., with John the Baptist and two of his disciples, the day after he first pointed Jesus out. One of them is Andrew, a fisherman from Bethsaida; the other goes unnamed. John fixes his eyes on a man walking past and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Feel the pull of those words. The two step away from their old master and follow.

Fall in behind them on the path. Hear the river and the wind in the reeds. Jesus turns: “What are you looking for?” Mark the hour, as the evangelist did for the rest of his life: about four in the afternoon, the light going long and gold. “Come, and you will see.” Walk with them to where He is staying, and when Andrew hurries back with his brother Simon, stand by the door and watch Jesus look at him.

Encounter the Lord

Walk with the two disciples on the bank of the Jordan. John points to a passing stranger and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” They follow at a distance. Jesus turns and asks them, “What are you looking for?”

That question is put to you. Beneath every desire is a longing that only God can fill. The disciples do not ask for a teaching; they ask where He lives, and He answers, “Come, and you will see.” Faith begins as staying with Him. Samuel needed Eli to teach him how to listen. Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. Someone brought you, and someone may be waiting for you to bring them.

This week, spend ten minutes in silence before the Blessed Sacrament or in a quiet place at home, and pray Samuel’s words: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Know Your Faith

Christ, the Source of Every Vocation

Christ entrusted to the apostles and their successors the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in His name, and He gives every member of His Body a share in His mission (CCC 873). Every vocation begins with a personal call from Him.

Welcoming the Word

Everyone is called to enter the kingdom, and to enter it one must first accept Jesus’ word (CCC 543). The kingdom belongs to those who receive it with humble hearts (CCC 544).

The Dignity of the Body

The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God; the whole person is meant to become a temple of the Spirit (CCC 364). Belonging to Christ requires that we treat our own body, and every other person’s body, with respect (CCC 1004).

Helping Others Hear God’s Call

Parents should respect and encourage their children’s vocations, remembering that the first calling of a Christian is to follow Jesus (CCC 2232). The family is the first place where a vocation is discovered (CCC 1656).