Scripture Readings: Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19; First Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Gospel According to Saint Luke 4:21-30

This Sunday’s first Mass reading is the important call of Jeremiah the prophet, some six hundred years before the birth of Christ. Jeremiah is emphatically told by the Lord: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you we were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”

Admittedly few, if any of us, get such a direct message from the Lord, yet a Christians we believe that all of us have a call, what we call a vocation in life, which does not mean simply a “job,” but in fact a divine summons from God, to be people of love, self-sacrifice and participants in divine life, that is, life in Christ.

There could be no higher call than that. No matter if we are laity or clergy, rich or poor, young or old, none of us can dismiss the idea that we are being called by the Lord, and not just once, but every day. Benedictine monks like us at Christ in the Desert make a vow of “conversion of life,” meaning a promise to be attentive to God each and every day, making a fresh start at the beginning of every new day.

Each morning at the Divine Office of Vigils, before the sin rises, we chant the words of Psalm 94(95): “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” However, it is not just a matter of “if” you hear God’s voice, but “when” you hear God’s voice. That implies being attentive to the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, the Bible, as well as in the celebration of the sacraments of the Church, especially the Holy Eucharist (Mass) and Reconciliation or Confession, and in the depths of one’s hearts in daily prayer.

Just mentioned are the most common ways of discovering what God may be saying to us in our lives, but also included are the needs and cries of those around us, both those we know well, such as family, friends, co-workers and the like, but even any strangers or the unappealing who may enter our lives.

We are all part of God’s saving plan, with a mission specific to our personal and communal lives, just like Jeremiah the prophet with his particular call to be a voice of God in his time.

The origin, purpose, unfolding and continuation of God’s involvement in our lives are dependent on God’s choice, power and love. The “divine vocation” of each of us is rooted in our being sons and daughters of God, loved into being and sustained by God’s love throughout out life.

A central theme throughout the entire Bible (Sacred Scripture) is the assurance of God in the words: “I am with you.” Saint Paul in the New Testament goes so far as to assert: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (see Romans 8:31).

This is a reminder that God’s power and presence is far greater than any opposition or trials we may face in life and should encourage us to see the inevitable challenges of life as opportunities to witness God’s power at work, rather than being discouraged by setbacks.

The Gospel text assigned for this Sunday recounts the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry after his Baptism, when he was preaching at the synagogue in Nazareth. People marvel his words, but also ask how can such a well-known person be a spokesperson for God. In fact, the people become so indignant at the very idea that they try to end Jesus’ life by hurling over a cliff, but he walks away from the attempt on his life. Here we can understand that the composure and strength of Jesus’s personality prevents the people from carrying out their impulsive plan.

At this point the people fail to see Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the nations. Only later does this reality make an impact on them, but even then, not all believe.

The ongoing experience of those called by God, including Jeremiah the prophet, is facing opposition and the lack of faith of those who hear them. The rejection of the people at Nazareth symbolizes the refusal of the people to readily grasp Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even Jesus’ closer disciples and apostles don’t fully grasp the nature of who Jesus is until his resurrection from dead. And even then, some still doubt the divine origin of the Master. This reality extends even to the present.

The second reading for this Sunday’s Mass, taken from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, contains a crucial message for our life in Christ: by losing we gain. By laying aside our self-centeredness, we gain a world of love in return. Yet, in our giving each day, we must not act as “a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal” (First Corinthians 13:1). Rather, we must do all quietly and with sincere love. Love is what brought Jesus to the cross. The fruit of true love, rooted in God, means being “crucified” with Christ, but it also means participating in the hope of resurrection.

The last sentence in today’s Gospel reveals the strength by which we are led each day to an ever- new life in Christ. “He [Jesus] went straight through their midst and walked away.”

That doesn’t mean Jesus “gave up,” but ventured to the next phase and work that he was being called to. The same holds true for us as well. We take refuge in the Lord, with hope and trust throughout our earthly journey. We depend on the Lord from our mother’s womb. By following our Lord day in and day out, we will see the victory promised to those who love God and neighbor, as Jesus commanded us to do.

Abbot Christian Leisy, OSB