“Do you hear the word of God in your life? Do you hear God speaking to you? Do you hear Him calling you, calling you throughout your life calling you to something deeper? God is always calling you to a deeper relationship with Christ, but sometimes we have to ask ourselves, am I listening for it? The world is so full of noise really trying to steal our attention. Our phones are ringing. The music is on in the car. We’re chatting about the news, but are we listening to the call of God? In our first reading today, Samuel is woken up in the middle of the night by the voice of God calling him. He thinks it’s Eli his teacher, so he continues going to Eli and saying, ‘Here I am, you called me.’ but Eli didn’t call him. This happened three times until Eli his teacher realized that God was calling him, so Eli told Samuel that next time you hear his voice say, ‘Speak Lord for your servant is listening.’ In this reading it shows that to hear the voice of God sometimes we need guidance just like in everything else in our lives. We have coaches for our sports. We have teachers to teach us how to read, how to do math. We have mentors to help us that we choose, our parents to guide us, but also we need spiritual directors, guides to help us discern the voice of God in our life and we’re not used to it for God is always calling you. The question is, can you hear him?
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist calls out Christ, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ In a few moments I will actually be holding up the Lamb of God, but do you believe that or does it draw you to something more? Are you willing to just take one step forward into this relationship with Christ because that’s all he’s asking for when the two disciples heard, ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ they just started to follow. They asked Jesus, ‘Where are you staying?’ Now they didn’t want to know his address per se. They meant, ‘What are you about? What is your mission? What are you doing here? There was something that drew them to him and so with each of us in our lives. Either we know it’s the voice of God drawing us towards him or maybe there’s an itch in your heart that draws you toward something, a desire in your heart, a flame that burns that cannot be satisfied that you wake up and you don’t know where you’re going, but you know it’s somewhere special. Maybe that’s the Holy Spirit calling you, but what does Jesus reply? He just invites us, come and see. Come with me and just see. He’s asking us to take just one step, just today.
In our lives we try to prepare. We try to prepare our lives before we make a decision. How will it look? Will I be able to do it? Do I have the skill set to do it? Jesus is just saying, ‘Come to me today. Just take one step.’ Sometimes we are paralyzed by our fear or too many options and sometimes we need to take a step of faith with Christ. Christ is calling you today just to come and see where He can lead you in your life. Will you take it?
As you come to receive the Eucharist today where Christ is truly present before you, the Lamb of God, will you come and have the strength and the courage just to receive him, let him enter into your life, to live with you outside of these walls of the church and just come and see where God can transform your life? Amen.”