Homily 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - January 22, 2023
Readings can be found here.
What do you
want to do when you grow up? That’s a
typical question children get asked. Especially
for high school students, choosing a career path can be an important
decision. When I was young, I wanted to
be an engineer. At least, my parents
told me I should be an engineer and that sounded like a good idea. When I got to college, I started taking
courses and realized that’s not what I wanted to do. Instead, I studied chemistry. After graduation, I spend five years in the
Navy. When I left military service, I went to work in the electroplating
industry as a chemist. I worked several
years in that field and realized I didn’t like being a chemist either. I went back to school and earned
certifications in computer support and now have a career in IT that I
love. If you had told me back in high
school I would be an IT professional, I likely wouldn’t have believed you. It wasn’t even on my radar as a possibility.
Another
thing I never thought about doing was becoming a deacon. The idea never crossed my mind. I’d been involved in different ministries in
my parish prior to beginning formation for the deaconate. At the time, I had a sense that God was
calling me to some new ministry. However,
I wasn’t discerning the Spirit calling me to anything specific. One day at work, I overheard a couple of
coworkers talking about getting involved in charity work again. They had been members of a particular
organization and were considering becoming active once more.
As I listened, I recalled that
there was a diaconal information meeting that evening at my parish. And it occurred to me that I should go. I can’t explain the desire, just that it was
strong. When I got home that evening, I
told my wife I was planning on going to the meeting and asked if she wanted to
come. She was a bit dumbstruck and asked
where that idea came from. The topic had
literally never come up. While she
didn’t join me, I did attend the meeting. That started me down the path leading to
ordination. Being an IT professional and
a deacon is not at all how I thought my life would go.
I bet Peter, Andrew, James, and
John also had a different idea of how their lives would go. They probably thought they would eventually
take over the family business, fishing.
They worked with their fathers and it would be natural to continue the
tradition. And then one day, while they were
busy working, Jesus came by and said, “Follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” And they dropped everything and followed Him. Jesus didn’t call them after praying with
them. He didn’t call them after
performing some miracle or sharing a meal.
Jesus called them while they were actively fishing or mending their
nets. In the middle of their work day.
We may think that God only speaks
to us when we’re praying or in times of quiet.
Or only when we’re actively listening for God. However, God speaks to us all the time. Not only in prayer, but through the
Scriptures, or through encounters with others.
God also speaks to us while we work, or play, or go about our daily
activities. Whether we’re listening for
Him or not. We need to pay attention at
all times. God may be trying to speak to
us at times we least expect.
What can we do to listen for God
more closely? Reading Scripture more
often is a way we can start. God speaks
to us directly through His Word.
Reflecting on Scripture can help us hear what God is saying in our lives
today. The readings for Mass each day
can be found on the USCCB website. The
liturgy of the hours contains psalms and Old and New Testament readings. Praying even one of the hours, like morning
or evening prayer, can help us to hear God in our lives. We also can be more mindful to look for God
as we interact with others during our day.
Whenever we have a moment after interacting others, reflect briefly on where
you may have seen or heard Jesus. It can
be after a meeting at work, or after a conversation with a friend. Or perhaps, like in my case, just overhearing
another conversation. We can reflect on
the things we see and hear in passing throughout the day. We can actively look for and listen to God in
everything we do.
Jesus asked Peter, Andrew, James,
and John to follow Him while they were at work with their fathers. They heard Jesus’ call and immediately followed
Him. Are we listening for Jesus speaking
to us? Are we ready to respond to Jesus
right away, even if He’s asking something we’ve never considered? Are we willing to follow Jesus and see where
our lives go from there?
Comments
Post a Comment