God is calling out to us. The question is, are we listening?

Jan. 18: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19; Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10; 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20; Jn 1:35-42

Caller ID ruined a great analogy for hearing the voice of God. It used to be that you did not know who was calling until you answered the telephone. If it were someone you spoke with all the time you would recognize his or her voice. But if you had never spoken on the phone before with the person you might not know who it was at first.
The same is true with our rela-tionship with God: The more we talk and listen to him, the more likely we are to recognize the voice when we hear it.
This analogy came to mind when I was reading this week’s Scriptures. God calls Samuel while he is sleeping in the temple. Samuel doesn’t recognize God’s voice because “at that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.” So he thinks it is the priest Eli who is calling him. This happens a couple times and Eli realizes that it is God calling Samuel. So he tells Samuel next time to just say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
The Gospel has another story of God calling, but this time it is the first disciples of Jesus. John the Baptist sees Jesus walk by and lets his disciples know that this is the lamb of God, the Messiah for whom they have been waiting. They quickly begin to follow Jesus.
In both of these Scripture passages there is a trusted person who points people to God. It is so much easier to follow when we are pointed in the right direction. Each of us, at one time or another, is called to be the trusted persopointing the way, and, at other times, we are the person in need of direction from someone we trust.
The ability to hear the voice of God in our lives boils down to a few basic things. Read the Scrip-tures to get to know how God talks. Take time regularly to sit quietly and listen to God. Find faith-filled people you trust —your priest or others in your church community — and talk with them about Jesus. God is calling out to us. The question is, Are we listening?

Jan. 25: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jon 3:1-5, 10; Ps 25:4-9; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20

In my line of work, I send lots of emails and I receive quite a few of them as well. There are times when it’s simply impossible to read them all promptly, and I’m forced to leave most of them un-opened until a more opportune time.
But when I’m the sender, I often wonder whether the recipients use the same stalling tactics as I do. How do I ensure that my messages, urgent but still competing for attention, are opened quickly and responded to right away?
Whether it’s a postal envelope or an urgent email request, the little tag or subject heading “Time Sensitive” usually does the trick. It tells the recipient that his or her response is critical because it’s tied to a particular event. It also sets up the emotional tug that says that if the response is delayed, they might miss out on something important. I know that it works because it certainly motivates me when I’m the recipient!
Today’s readings are the kinds of messages that would have “Time Sensitive” stamped all over them. Nineveh, a city so huge that it took a three-day walk to cross it, responded to Jonah’s call for repentance after only the first day. Its destruction wasn’t forecast for 40 more days, but the people obviously weren’t taking any chances.
Likewise, the epistle carries the pressing message that “time is running out,” the world is “passing away” and business as usual is no longer an option.
Jesus’ proclamation in Galilee is also an urgent call to repentance — but it’s not meant as a forecast of doom and gloom. The word “gospel” literally means “good news,” and the really good news is that God’s loving promises are fulfilled and extended to each of us on this very day.

Jesus isn’t manipulating our fears but inviting us to something so good that we would be foolish to miss out on even one more minute! The power of that proclamation certainly motivated Simon, Andrew, James and John to leave their trade and follow him immediately.
In our lives, we are inundated with messages clamoring for our attention. Some are more consequential than others and weighing their relative importance is tricky. But there’s one “Time Sensitive” message that outweighs them all, and Jesus is waiting for a response.