Fr Douglas’ Homilies – St Peter's RC Church

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

17th Jan

Mass Readings

Reading 1 – 1 Samuel 3:3-19
Psalm – Psalm 40:2-10
Reading 2 – 1 Corinthians 6:13-20
Gospel – John 1:35-42

‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening!’

Like the people in today’s readings, we, too, are called by Christ: called to spend time with him; to work with him; to offer our bodies, hearts and minds in loving service of God’s will.

The First Reading tells the delightful story of God’s initiative in the life of the boy Samuel, who is open to the call of the Lord despite his youth, signalling the beginnings of a close relationship with God.

The Psalmist invites us to a personal knowledge of and intimate relationship with God. God desires ‘an open ear’, bidding us to make Samuel’s prayer our own: ‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening’.

Writing to those in Corinth, a city notorious for its vice, Paul emphasises that both our bodies and our souls are meant for the glory of God. The physical body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we come together in unity as the cosmic body of Christ (Second Reading).

John the Evangelist describes the call of the first disciples, where Jesus asks the searching question addressed to every reader of the Gospel: ‘What do you want?’ Here begins the journey of getting to know Jesus, as the disciples (and we ourselves) follow on the path of deepening faith towards an understanding of who Jesus Christ is.

This week, we, too, may ask for the grace of an open ear and an open-hearted response to Jesus’s invitation to ‘Come and see’. We also remember those of our sisters and brothers who, like Samuel, as yet have ‘no knowledge of the Lord’, and ask that they may come to know the safety and peace such knowledge can bring in an uncertain world.

Baptism of the Lord

10th Jan

Mass Readings

Reading 1 – Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm – Psalm 29:1-10
Reading 2 – Acts 10:34-38
Gospel – Mark 1:7-11

Reflection from Fr Douglas

We celebrate this Sunday the Baptism of the Lord.
In the Gospel we hear St. Mark’s account of John the Baptist baptising Jesus, and we are told “a voice came from heaven,

“You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.”

As Christians we are all baptised in Jesus Christ and so the Father’s words apply to us also. The uncreated source of all that is — and because we are limited, created beings we have no idea of the true depths of God’s majesty and power — the mystery that is love, who breathes all things into existence, says to each one of us “you are not just a creature or a servant, you are my child.

You are my beloved child and (the Greek is eudokesa: eu, meaning ‘good’, dokesa from the same root word as ‘glory’) and with good will I have desired glory for you.”

We are back in lock-down. It is a difficult situation for many of us, but nonetheless our God who is powerful enough to create suns, stars, supernovas and black-holes, continues to wish glory for us, He continues to think of each one of us as His child, and continues, in the midst of our struggles, to look upon us as beloved.

In some way, even in these trying circumstances, our God is calling us on towards the glory that He wishes for us. We might not be able to fathom God’s purposes but we should trust Him and entrust ourselves to His grace.