Homily: The First Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The First Tuesday of Ordinary Time (1 Sam 1:9-20) “God Hears”

We begin ordinary time, the way we ended the Christmas season. We reflect on a miraculous birth. This story is about the birth of Samuel. Hannah goes to Shiloh on pilgrimage with her husband Elkanah. The couple is childless.

When Hannah prays in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant her prayer is heard. Eli, the priest, assures her of this. And the name the couple gives to their child tells the world what they believe. The name of the boy is Samuel which means God has heard.

What impresses me about Hannah and Elkanah is that as soon as they give birth, they dedicate Samuel to the Lord. When he is weaned, they bring the boy back to Shiloh and they offer him to Eli. He then begins his service to the Lord.

Samuel becomes a prophet of Israel. He is one of the most important figures in salvation history. At the time Samuel began his prophetic ministry there was no agreed upon ruler of Israel. The nation of Israel was a loose confederation of tribes. Whenever there was an outside threat, a crisis ensued. Since there was no military leader, one had to be discerned. This took time and Israel ended up in peril.

The prophet Samuel became the man who was looked upon as an authority figure. He was the spokesman for God. His words carried weight. The people complained that they wanted a King. Samuel felt like this desire reflected a lack of trust in the Lord. There could only be one leader of Israel and that was the Lord.

The people wanted a human to govern them. Finally, God gives the people what they want. He is the one who anoints the first King who is named Saul. He also anoints the second King who was David.

As we begin the story of the Davidic kings we start with the figure of Samuel. He was truly God’s instrument from the moment of birth.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I believe God hears my prayer? What prayers has he answered?

2.   Samuel was picked out to lead from birth. Do things like this happen today?

 Dear Parishioners,

          We had a wonderful Epiphany party for volunteers on Sunday. I was glad so many people were able to make it. We now move into ordinary time, but Lent comes up fast this year. Ash Wednesday will be on Valentines Day.

          This Friday we will be taking down Christmas decorations and cleaning the church. This will begin at 1:30 p.m. If you can help, please come by. This is a chance to get the dirt out of the nooks and crannies of the church.

          May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

          Fr. Mark