Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 - Wednesday in the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 3:1-10, 19-20 and Mark 1:29-39]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 Eli 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." [1 Samuel]
Prayerful discernment can be a messy process. It rarely moves in a straight line toward an ultimate decision. The story of Samuel's call to be a prophet is a good example of this. Samuel had been given to Eli the priest to be trained in the ways of the temple. The episode today concerns the Lord's call to Samuel to be a prophet. It's a funny story in a way because Samuel keeps hearing a 'voice' that he thinks is Eli calling to him, and keeps getting up and waking up Eli to answer the call. It takes three instances before Eli realizes that the 'voice' is God's call, and he (Eli) has to tell Samuel to listen to that voice. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."
Important decisions, no matter what the subject is, require prayerful discernment. My own experience with being 'called' to religious life and priesthood when I was a student at Tulane in the 1960's gave me a lot of anxious moments, but I knew I had to listen to that 'voice' which interrupted my carefully planned future in the practice of law. That discernment ultimately led me to join the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Later on, a wise friar/spiritual director pushed me back toward getting that law degree that I had given up!
Those of us who work with students know how difficult discernment can be because the Lord's 'voice' has to contend with other voices that represent attractive options. These options include the choice of marriage, religious life/priesthood, single life, career. One hears this anxious question: "What if I make the 'wrong' decision?" Prayerful discernment doesn't involve 'wrong' decisions. It is a zig-zag process that does have a goal, to work peacefully with God to use one's gifts and talents in service to God's people. Sometimes we may be Samuel. Sometimes we may be Eli! The goal is to hear God's voice and listen. AMEN