Have you heard God’s summons to you? And have you responded? - Daily Reflections January 23,2015

ANSWERING TO THE SUMMONS

There is a certain directness, matter-of-factness, and laconic precision in the language of Mark in today’s Gospel passage. There is hardly any reference or allusion to any emotion — no frills, no elaborations, no explanations. We are simply told, “Jesus summoned those whom he wanted, and they came to him.”

       In our times, we need to deal with the strict demands of political correctness. You cannot summon people. You can only invite them. You cannot command them. You can only request them to do something. Everything now is optional. One cannot be too direct, lest one suffers extreme moral damages and psychological distress.

       I remember how aghast I was on my first trip to the US many years ago. Children didn’t look too kindly at old people, and while adults were told to be careful so that they don’t cause children undue pressure and stress by punishing them, I saw the opposite. Children were causing undue suffering to adults, particularly senior citizens, because it was simply not politically correct to reprimand or harm their fragile self-esteem.

       In our politically correct world, we invent new terms for old realities. We don’t refer to aged people as old; we call them senior citizens. A child born out of wedlock is not called illegitimate but a love child. A lifetime companion is no longer either a wife or a husband but a partner. What we called holy matrimony is now simply referred to as a marriage, which can refer to a mere “domestic partnership.”

       There is a certain freshness to the language of Mark who tells it like it is. We need to be reminded that God summons us every step of the way. He summoned us to life, first and foremost. He summons us to holiness, even as He summoned prophets, judges and kings to prepare for His Son’s coming. The Lord Jesus summoned the disciples in turn. He summoned them and they came to Him. Promptly. Quickly. Readily. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you heard God’s summons to you? And have you responded?

Make me courageous enough, Lord, to respond to Your summons to me.