{"id":676,"date":"2015-01-18T09:44:51","date_gmt":"2015-01-18T14:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/?p=676"},"modified":"2015-03-20T09:49:02","modified_gmt":"2015-03-20T14:49:02","slug":"learning-the-meaning-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/?p=676","title":{"rendered":"Learning the Meaning of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time<\/span><\/h1>\n

Sam 3: 3b-10, 19; 1 Cor 6: 13c-15a, 17-20; John 1: 35-42<\/h1>\n

Deacon Larry Brockman<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, what is the purpose of life?\u00a0 The first thing we have to do to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives is to recognize that God is trying to communicate with us about just that all the time.<\/p>\n

In the first reading, we see young Samuel learning this lesson.\u00a0 Samuel is dreaming about someone calling to him- but he doesn\u2019t recognize who or what it is.\u00a0 Not once, not twice, but three times he has the same dream; and only with the help of Eli does Samuel recognize it for what it truly is-\u00a0 God calling him and asking him to listen to him in a dream.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s hold on to that thought for a moment and talk about it because you are probably thinking \u201cIs God talking to me in my dreams\u201d?\u00a0 Maybe, and maybe not. But you see, that isn\u2019t the point.\u00a0 The point is that whether it is- a dream; a funny feeling or fleeting impression when we are awake; something we read; something we see; or something we experience- whatever it might be- God is trying to talk to us all the time.\u00a0 We just need to be open to it; we need to listen to him.<\/p>\n

Some time ago my wife and I watched the film \u201cAbout Schmidt\u201d.\u00a0 The main character in the film, Warren Schmidt, was ably played\u00a0 by Jack Nicholson;\u00a0 Warren saw a TV add called \u201cChild Reach\u201d, calling for folks to sponsor a poor child in the third World for $22 a month.\u00a0 Moved by compassion, Warren sponsors a child named Ndugu.\u00a0 Now Warren is a man who holds it all in- and doesn\u2019t have anyone to share his anger or frustration with.\u00a0 He retires after having devoted his life to his job at the expense of spending time with his family.\u00a0 Then he discovers he wasn\u2019t appreciated by his company; he loses his wife; and he finds himself frustrated by his daughter\u2019s choice of a mate.<\/p>\n

And so, throughout the film, we hear Warren venting his anger in letters to his foster-child Ndugu.\u00a0 At the end of the film, Warren is feeling very, very discouraged and despondent over all his misfortunes.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t see the value in his life.\u00a0 And then, all of a sudden, he gets a letter from Ndugu\u2019s teacher who talks about how much Warren\u2019s sponsorship has meant, and how much Ndugu loves him.\u00a0 Ndugu has also sent a crayon drawing.\u00a0 It shows a smiling Ndugu linked hand in hand with Warren, and a great big bright sun shining in the background.\u00a0 And Warren cries, because he can see that he has made a difference after all.<\/p>\n

It is just a story, yes; but the point is clear.\u00a0 God nudges, cajoles, and whispers to us all the time.\u00a0 And some of the time, we are not even conscious that we have responded.\u00a0 But the little voice inside has made its mark, and we do things responding to our call by God.\u00a0 These things are part of God\u2019s plan, and they can make a big difference.\u00a0 We just never know when we will get such a call\u00a0 It could happen when you are on a cruise, for example, right there on the open sea, in the midst of 3,000 people, most of whom have put God on the sidelines for the duration;\u00a0 and yes, it can even happen when you analyze one of your dreams.\u00a0 But the point is that it is happening all the time.\u00a0 God is calling you to do his thing for you.<\/p>\n

Second, the message and mission God has for you is personal, much more personal than you might think.\u00a0 Samuel\u2019s message was certainly in that category; and so was the message to the Apostles in the Gospel.<\/p>\n

When we read how God called people in the Bible, or when we hear stories about great saints who have responded to God\u2019s call like St. Paul or Mother Theresa or Saint Francis, it was personal; it was directed to them and was specific to them. \u00a0\u00a0Our calls are personal as well.\u00a0 And likely they are right there unfolding for us- right in front of us. like helping a stranger when you\u2019re on a ship.<\/p>\n

And the fact that God is calling us to something right in front of us is both a relief and a challenge.\u00a0 It is a relief because more often than not, we are not being asked to make a drastic change in our lives.\u00a0 Rather, we are just being asked to be a little more sensitive; a little more giving in our own situations.\u00a0 But it is a challenge, because it means making a sacrifice, the kind of sacrifice that involves putting our personal goals on the back burner.<\/p>\n

Our gospel today demonstrates this so well.\u00a0 These men that became Apostles were called quietly one by one.\u00a0 And they left to follow Jesus.\u00a0 It all started out slowly, but ended up changing their lives forever.<\/p>\n

As you begin your new year, now is the perfect time for you to listen carefully for God\u2019s voice in your lives.\u00a0 If you can stop the train you are on, and find the time to reflect reflect- that would be great.\u00a0 Maybe the days you spend on vacation, like a cruise, are a way to help you find the time.\u00a0 So, listen for it; be ready for it.\u00a0 Put aside the many forms of self-absorption when the call comes.\u00a0 Make a sacrifice; say \u201cSpeak your servant is listening\u201d.\u00a0 And God will say to you: \u201cCome and see\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Sam 3: 3b-10, 19; 1 Cor 6: 13c-15a, 17-20; John 1: 35-42 Deacon Larry Brockman   So, what is the purpose of life?\u00a0 The first thing we have to do to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives is to recognize that God is trying to communicate with us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[324],"tags":[326,325],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=676"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":677,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions\/677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}