Today’s readings speak about the ongoing interaction between God and us. God comes to meet us each moment. This living God speaks to us and expects us to respond to his voice. Our intimacy with God depends on how much we see and hear him and mostly, how we respond to his calling.
There was a period in my life, when I did not know the Lord though I knew ‘about’ him. That was the time I was living “with Christ”, fulfilling obligations, saying prayers as I needed to say and thinking that I was a good Christian. The word of God had not yet come alive in me. The Sacraments were a habit or a ritual and participating at the Eucharist was to tick the box.
We read in today’s first reading how Eli taught Samuel to listen to the Lord and say, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:8-9). I too received the grace to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit through the 4 Steps retreat in 2012, and the journey that started from then onwards has taught me to recognize the voice of God.
Samuel ran to Eli, not realizing that the Lord was calling him, and he did not hear anything more. The Lord seemed to go quiet when Samuel did not recognize his voice. Isn’t it true in our lives too? As long as we choose to run to the world seeking answers, we will not be hearing the voice of God. God seems quiet in our lives.
In the Gospel proclamation, we are told about having our inner eyes open to see God and his action in the events of our day-to-day life. Andrew was one of the disciples of John the Baptist. He followed the Lord and spent time with him. He brought his brother Simon to Jesus saying, “We have found the Messiah”. This is another gift we receive through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our inner eyes are opened to see God’s realities more than what we see with our physical eyes, and we develop a desire to share the Good News with others. We are invited to draw more people to journey with the Lord, to “walk by faith and not by sight”.
In today’s second reading St Paul explains that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The risen Christ comes into our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Eucharist, he transforms our bodies into the temple of the Holy Spirit. As caretakers of God’s temple, our duty is to seek his will and obey it. As we use our free will to say ‘yes’ to his will and ‘no’ to our own wills, those around us will be attracted to the Lord who is living within us.

Abba Father, help me to hear your voice and lead me to your will. Amen.