Bible Reading January 15, 2012
Reading 1 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
“I did not call you, ” Eli said. “Go back to sleep.”
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
“Here I am, ” he said. “You called me.”
But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Reading 2 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord is for the body;
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
Gospel Jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” – which translated means Teacher -,
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” – which is translated Christ -.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” – which is translated Peter.
The Loving Programmer calls those whom He wants to serve Him.
They may not recognize that they are being called, and these passages show us how we may be called without realizing it.
Those who are called should ask those who have been called for advice, to see if they, too, have been called and find out how to respond.
Eli makes it clear that when one feels as if they are being called, they should respond, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Those who hear and answer the call will not be without effect.
The Loving Programmer asks us in the responses to recognize that we human programs should seek to find and do what The Loving Programmer wants us to do.
He will give some of us a “new song”, (in this case, Catholic Fundamentalism) to sing.
He does not want us to make ostentatious sacrifices, but to do His will.
And, we have to tell others what He has allowed us to access. We should not restrain ourselves for fear of public opinion.
So, we should all be saying, “Here I am, Loving Programmer. I come to do your will.”
Fellow believers, the physical part of our human program is not to be corrupted. We were meant to live for He Who wrote and had our individual program downloaded. And, The Loving Programmer will raise our bodies as He raised that of His Son.
We must realize that our individual programs are sub-programs within The Program, Jesus Christ, Who took perfect, obedient, human form to let us restore our own programs. We are part of His Great Program.
Avoid corrupting your own program. Most sins corrupt other programs, but some corruption recoils upon the human program who corrupts himself.
Your body is where The Holy Wireless Connector lives within your own program. You have Him within you because of The Programmer and Program, and you are, for that reason, the “property” of the Loving Programmer.
The Program, Jesus Christ, suffered for you, so glorify Him in what you think, say, and do.
John the Baptist told two of his disciples that Jesus was “The Lamb of God”.
They heard, and acted on those words, following Jesus, The Program in perfect, obedient, human form.
Jesus saw them following Him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?”
He replied, “Come and you will see (where I am on earth and in Heaven). So, they went, saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew (Patron Saint of Scythians, later the Scots) was one of those who’d heard John’s words and followed Jesus. He found his own brother, Simon, and told Him, “We’ve found the Messiah!”, The Christ, The Program in perfect, obedient, human form.
He brought Simon to Jesus, Who looked at him and said, “You are Simon, John’s son. You will be called ‘Cephas’, (Peter).
Upon this rock, Christ built His Church.
This Bible Reading January 15 2012 was brought to you by Catholic Fundamentalism.
