Homily 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 30, 2022

 Readings can be found here.

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you.  In our first reading from Jeremiah, God appoints him to be God’s prophet to the people of Israel.  This was a ministry God intended for Jeremiah from the very beginning, even before Jeremiah was conceived.  God knew and dedicated him even before his parents knew they would have a child.  God also knew us before we were conceived and dedicated us to a ministry as well.  The challenge for us is to discern what that ministry is.

There are many ways we can discern what God is calling us to do.  The first, and most important, is prayer.  In order to know what God wants us to do, we need to take time to speak with and listen to God.  We can pray over the Scriptures, pray devotionals like the Rosary, or use some other prayer aid in order to get to know God more deeply.  However, I might suggest taking some time to simply BE with God and just listen.  We can hear God most clearly when we listen for that small voice as Elijah did on Mount Horeb, waiting for the Lord.  An exercise I learned during formation may be helpful to you.  To quiet your mind, you pray, “be still and know that I am God”.  Then after a few moments, “be still and know”.  Then a few moments later, “be still”.  Finally, “be”.  Repeat this as many times as necessary and listen for God between each repetition.

Another way to discern God’s will for us is to look to our talents.  Everything we’re good at doing is a gift from God.  These talents were given to us to serve others and help bring about the Kingdom of God.  How can we use your talents in serving others?  And we don’t necessarily need to look too far to find what community to serve.  How can we use your talents to serve our family?  Or our workplace?  Or our school?  Or our immediate community?

Once we discern the ministry God calls us to, we need to be faithful to that call even if there are difficulties.  Today’s Gospel is a continuation from last week’s reading.  Last week, we heard that Jesus stood up in the temple, read from Scripture, then declared that Scripture was fulfilled in the crowd’s hearing.  At first, everyone spoke highly of Jesus.  But then he began to say things the crowd didn’t appreciate.  They became angry at Jesus and tried to throw Him out of town.  Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, He did things that upset others.  He threatened those in power and didn’t meet the expectations of some of His followers.  But Jesus continued to do God’s will in His life.

In the same way, the ministries we’re called to may not please everyone.  It’s not popular with some to pray for and work towards an end to abortion.  It’s not popular with some to advocate for the poor and for migrant communities.  It’s not popular with some to be a deacon or a priest.  It’s even not popular with some simply being Catholic.  However, our first reading says God will make you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass.  God will provide you the strength you need to carry on your ministry, whether you encounter difficulties or not.  Sometimes the biggest difficulty to overcome in ministry is discouragement, especially in a time like now where participating in ministry may be difficult due to COVID restrictions.

Along with God’s strength, the other key following God’s will for our lives is found in our second reading.  Paul speaks of striving for spiritual gifts, but that whatever gifts we have, we must minister out of love.  Without love, they will come to nothing.  We should be using our talents to serve others out of love of God and our neighbor.  Only in this way can our efforts be successful.  Everything we do should be done out of love.  Mother Theresa often said “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”  God has dedicated all of us from before our birth to a ministry and gives us the strength we need to carry out that ministry.  God also calls us to serve others out of love, even if it’s difficult or discouraging.  Through prayer, we can discern God’s call.  What has God dedicated you to do?