Christmas is over. We've entered into the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. 2009 is here to stay and January will soon be over. The ordinariness of life has taken over. One such ordinary activity we often engage in during the start of the year is we struggle to keep up with New Year resolutions. Many of us, even little kids in school, have set their goals for the year, making projections. The students would have set exam targets and those taking major exams are already preparing for the Day of their 1st actual paper (sometime in Oct). Some adults are making arrangements in case they get retrenched or looking for other jobs. Soon the Budget for 2009 will be released. Singaporeans everywhere are anticipating the budget and waiting for the GST rebates to come in.
So it seems the year has just started but from the plans that have been made, it seems we already know what to expect for the rest of 2009! It's as if we've lived through 2009. We're obsessed with managing everything esp. our time. I wonder if we're good responsible stewards.. or if all our plannings are done out of fear.. fear of the unknown future... So whatever comes our way... we have what we need to survive... We don't anything to want to rock our goals for an ordinary year.
Today's readings are close to my heart. For one, the story of Samuel brings me back to the time when as a hyperactive 10 year old, my siblings were exhausted out and I had no one to play with. While looking for geckos to freeze (then to thaw beside my sleeping sisters), I chanced upon a dusty Bible at the bottom of the shelf. While flipping though the pages I came across the story of Samuel and his famous words "Speak Lord your servant is listening". I marvelled at this little boy... and wondered how interesting it would be if God too would speak to me! I would have someone to interact with when everyone was too dead-tired to play with me. And so I prayed, "Speak Lord your servant is listening (and I'm very bored)". What do you sound like God? (Do you have a deep low voice like my dad? Or a loud voice like my mum?) In order to remember the prayer of Samuel I named by teddy bear, Samuel. I've kept to Samuel's prayer since then. Not a day has gone past, when I've felt bored or alone. God always finds ways to entertain and amuse me. God always finds ways to show off his works that leave me marvelled and in awe. God always finds ways to keep me busy and yet out of trouble.
The Gospel is also special because it led me to discover mission. The disciples asked, "Master where do you live?" and Jesus replied, "Come and See". In wanting to see how Jesus lived, I searched here and there. As a teen I was able to travel alot at very low rates (like $20 to $50, sometimes for free). I went to Disneyland. I rode all the rides all day. I went to Europe, saw Buckingham, Eiffel Tower, went to a mountain in Switzerland. I had a good time. I went to Australia, I went horse-riding and rode in a hot-air balloon. I had a good time. I went to Tokyo and watched sumo!!! I like sumo and I had a good time. I did the ordinary things a visitor would have done.
Then one day I went to a place like none other. A massive place where the mountains were made of rubbish, where I opened my mouth and a fly flew in and then flew out, where it was always smoky and musty, where there was no running water, where a lady had a heart-atack and nowhere to go and where undernourished children worked for long hours in dangerous conditions for a pittance. I didn't have a good time. But at the same time I didn't want to go home. The un-ordinary encounter of the people had begun to change my outlook of what ordinary should be.
We set goals, projections, resolutions to determine our future. The commitment each day to stay on track in meeting our targets, achieving standards, to be approved and accepted by others in the hope of having a successful and prosperous future can often rob us of loving Jesus in our ordinary lives.
We may percieve ourselves to be loving, joyful, peaceful, kind people. But the reality of who we are in such a competitive world can be found in how others encounter us. Do the people we interact with daily go away with a sense of joy? Do they feel loved because we have gone out of way to be loving? Do they have peace because we have peace? Do they strive to be kind because they have been moved by our kindness? Before this ordinary day ends, perhaps we can take stock of what fruits we have borne from previous years?
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, forever. If time brings about change, change that we cannot prevent, then Jesus brings about consistency. Jesus gives us consistent joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In order to enjoy his consistency, we have to be consistent in our relatioship with him. Let him show you what he can do with your ordinary time and your ordinary life. Let's not worry about the "what ifs" and have any fear of the future. Let us spend the year loving Jesus. God does not give the future, He only gives the present, moment by moment.
Have a fruitful year!
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