By Amala William csc –
Readings: 1 Sam 1: 1-8; Mk 1:14-20
The readings of the day comfort and call us to share with others.
In the first reading, Elkanah tenderly consoles and empathizes with Hannah’s societal shame as barren. Elkanah represents a mature husband who does not put his wife through humiliation and indignity. He stands on her side in both words and deeds.
In the gospel reading, we see Jesus calling his first disciples to which they responded immediately. They believed in his words and followed him with complete trust. The quick response of the disciples is something that struck me.
They seemed to have found consolation from the call of Jesus. The call hardly says any details about present or future. Even he had not begun his public ministry of working wonders. In our daily life, we are sceptical about anything and everything. We trust nobody unless we have personal experience with him/her.
Yet, Jesus could captivate those disciples by his individual invitation and we know the cost they had to pay for the response they gave. Whether it is consecrated life or married one, the seed of call is sown to us at our baptism. We nurture this call through our pious practices.
Once we are in the right disposition, we are called to share the comforted experience of God with others. Regardless of any human status or differences, we are invited to be part of his disciples in learning from him and teaching him among the people entrusted to us.