Archive for the ‘Eli’ Category

The Middle Man

January 13, 2024

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

God calls every individual to build a close relationship with him. Time and time again, the Bible narrates the call of God: to Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and many others. In the New Testament, we have the call of Mary at the Annunciation, the call of Peter and his companions at the lake, the call of Matthew the Tax Collector, the call of Paul and others. God called them and they responded to him by sacrificing everything to obey his invitation.

In our relationship with God, and other people, we may need someone to connect one person to another to get through an issue. In my culture in marriages, there is a middleman who plays a very important role between two families about to come together Sometimes, to buy an important property like a piece of land or a used car, there is also a need for such a middleman. The role of middlemen ensures a cordial interaction between the two parties who are coming together in a new relationship.

In the first reading from the book of Samuel, we saw the old priest, Eli play the role of a middleman to connect the little boy, Samuel to Yahweh. In the first chapter, Hannah, the mother of Samuel had promised to dedicate her son to the Lord’s service. (1st Sam 1:11) Yet Samuel never knew anything about the Lord, therefore the person of Eli had to tell him how to connect with the Lord. Eli played his role as a middleman very effectively and the boy Samuel discovered the Lord.

In the gospel today, John the Baptist played the same role of a middleman to connect Andrew to the Lamb of God, and, through Andrew, Simon Peter. John instructed them to make them know Who was among them: John the Baptist identifies the Messiah in Jesus and tells his disciples that He is the Lamb of God. He also encourages them to be the followers of Jesus. These disciples in their turn invite others to come to be with Jesus on his mission.

We see people who have set out to play the role of Eli and John the Baptist in the lives of others. In the first place, the parents must play this very important role for their children. I can remember how my parents and my grandfather used to hold my hands while going to Church every day. Today, I see myself as a Catholic priest.

Apart from parents, we also have teachers, leaders, advisers, priests, and so on who are placed to be the Eli and the John the Baptist of our time. Many of us have guided engaged couples and been sponsors at baptisms. The very big question is: Do you direct the little “Samuels” placed under your care properly? Do you point out the Lamb of God? When we have played our roles well, it is left for God to know what to do with the boy Samuel and for the Lamb of God to know how to change Simon’s name.

God’s call is a gift and this call is given to every person. We must respond with readiness to work for him. He has called people to be missionaries, preachers, teachers, and office workers, builders of families, social workers, nurses, and persons who could be his instruments of peace. Are you listening to His call? Are you listening to the “Eli” or the “John the Baptist” that God has placed in your life?

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Persons are Mysteries — Tuesday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time—Year II

January 12, 2010

Persons are always a mystery to each other. You could be lifelong friends with someone, and never exhaust their mystery. Husbands and wives can be married for fifty or sixty and still surprise each other.  Persons are always remain a mystery because our thoughts and minds, our motives and hearts, are hidden from each other. Realizing this, we should be very careful about the conclusions we arrive at about others.

For example, in the first reading, Hannah comes to the temple with a great longing in her heart. She wants a child and she asks for this from God at length, from her heart, with tears. 

Eli [the priest,] thinking her drunk, said to her, “How long will you make a drunken show of yourself? Sober up from your wine!”

She is pouring out her heart as a saint before him, but Eli thinks she is a drunk. (This is not one of the greatest moments in history for priestly pastoral ministry.) It’s wrong to get drunk, and it would be o.k. for Eli to tell her so if she were, but she’s not. Eli doesn’t understand  her. He doesn’t even understand what’s happening right in front of him. Oftentimes, we’re just like Him.  Another example of arriving at false conclusions in seen in the Gospel:

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?

The demon doesn’t understand Jesus’ motives.  The demon looks at things in terms of power, control, and domination, not love. The demon thinks that no one can be better than himself. Thus, Jesus is a threat that must be knocked down.

It’s not our style to accuse and criticize people so directly.  We’re too timid for that. When someone commits a fault or offense, how likely are we to go to them face to face about it? How much more likely are we to complain to someone else about it out of their presence?

What’s wrong with speaking negatively about others?  For starters, what we think we know is often false, like we saw with Eli. And even if the report is true we judge uncharitably, like the demon.  Speaking negatively about others is also unhelpful.  Jesus says in the Gospel. “If your brother sins against you, go to him in private.” This can clear up many misunderstandings and result in a solution. Instead, we may talk to everyone in the world about our burden besides the one person we actually need to. Finally, speaking negatively about others, even in private, wounds unity.  Even if your criticisms never find their way back to the person which they are about, harm is still done.  The person you are speaking with will wonder to themselves, “Does this person talk about me behind my back to others? How small of a fault on my part would that take?”

At times you will be misunderstood and people will speak ill of you, especially if you are faithful in following Jesus Christ.  But as for your part, never speak a bad word about anyone, unless it is really necessary. Live in this way and people will respect & love you for it. People will notice, as they did with Jesus, and say, “This person does not speak like the others. They speak like Jesus Christ.”

Posted in Christian Perfection, Eli, Hannah, Homily, Human Dignity, Mercy, Our Lady of Peace Parish, School Homilies, Weekday Homilies | 1 Comment »