How often have each of us wished that God would communicate with us directly, to have a burning bush experience like Moses. To experience God directly, we want to take off our shoes and approach God. We want to hear from God personally and understand what God has planned for us. We want to understand the unfathomable. But this can feel out of reach, beyond our grasp. Isn’t it hard for us to quiet ourselves, and allow ourselves to hear God’s voice in our life? This is made even more difficult with all the “noise and busyness” in our life. To ignore all the voices telling us what we need to do – what we need to own, that we need to be constantly connected to this materialistic world – a world filled with hidden and not so hidden demons.
As we celebrate the Word of God that has been proclaimed to us, God is calling the prophet Samuel, the first apostles Andrew and Peter, and you and I. Yes, the call of God is given to us as surely as it was given to Samuel and Andrew and Peter. The call of God, our vocation, is given to each and every one of us. I invite you to listen again to the dialogue of Jesus with the first disciples. Jesus, sensing that two people were following him, asked: “What are you looking for?” They responded: “Rabbi, where do you live.” Jesus simply responds: “Come and See.” This call of the first disciples invites us to reflect on the call of God in our own lives. Indeed, Jesus asks us what are we looking for? May we too respond: Master, where do you live? What are you all about? Then we receive the invitation to COME AND SEE.
It’s the time of year when we roll out the old and bring in the new. It’s the time for making new resolutions, new promises to ourselves. We resolve to devote more time to family life; we resolve to work more efficiently; and we decide to become healthier by dieting and exercising. Our resolutions are filled with our dreams and hopes and goals for the coming year. But the question that the Scriptures today invite us to reflect on is: What are God’s plan for us this year? Instead of focusing on our resolutions for the New Year, may we be open to God’s resolutions for us this year.