On this first Monday of Ordinary Time, the Church presents to us with various calls to ministry or vocation. In the first reading, was the background to the call of Samuel, the son of Elkanah and Hannah. Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. During the early life of their marriage, Peninnah was blessed with children while Hannah was childless. Due to Hannah’s barrenness, Peninnah made fun of her, calling her names, and bulling her because Hannah was barren. In this midst of this family dynamics and tragedy, Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah. Against all odds, Hannah herself remained steadfast to her God, prayer life, and family duties, while presenting her situation to the Lord, in the temple in Shiloh. God sees everything, hears everything and knows everything. Psalm 34 reminds us that the Lord hears the cry of the poor.
You may remember, a few weeks ago, during the Advent season, we read about Elkanah’s family, how God later answered Hannah’s prayers and vows. She gave birth to Samuel, whom she later dedicated to God’s service. Hannah was also blessed with five additional children, 3 sons and 2 daughters. The temple where she and her husband went to pray was in Shiloh.
Recently, I googled the word “Shiloh” as I was preparing this reflection, and it took me to Shiloh in Tennessee, USA. Nonetheless, the Shiloh in our first reading, (I Samuel 1:1-8) was in Samaria, where the temple was located at the time. It was Samuel who would later anoint David as king. David during this reign conquered Jerusalem and Jerusalem would later become the capital of his kingdom. His son, Solomon built a temple in a permanent site in Jerusalem for the Lord. Below is Hannah song of thanksgiving as she rejoices over the mercy and favor, she received from God (1 Samuel 2: 1-10):
“My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted by my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in your victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD;
there is no Rock like our God.
Speak boastfully no longer,
Do not let arrogance issue from your mouths.
For an all-knowing God is the LORD,
a God who weighs actions.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry no longer have to toil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes.
“The LORD puts to death and gives life,
casts down to Sheol and brings up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
humbles, and also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
“For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
and he has set the world upon them.
He guards the footsteps of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall perish in the darkness;
for not by strength does one prevail.
The LORD’s foes shall be shattered;
the Most High in heaven thunders;
the LORD judges the ends of the earth.
May he give strength to his king,
and exalt the horn of his anointed!”
Do you notice any similarity between Hannah’s song of thanksgiving and Mary’s Magnificat?
In the Gospel, we hear about Jesus calling the first group of His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In 2019 when I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, wow. It was special.
The Sea of Galilee is not actually a Sea, but a Lake. The lake is also called Lake Tiberias (named after Roman Emperor Tiberius), or Lake of Gennesaret in some of the Gospels. The word “Sea” and “Lake” will be used interchangeably.
A Boat on the Sea of Galilee, photo by Fr. Peter Eke
The Sea of Galilee is the chief source of water in Israel. The Sea lies 686 ft below the sea lever. It is 13 miles long, Max. width 13 km (8.1 mi), Surface area 166 km (64 sq mi), Average depth 25.6 m (84 ft) (varying), Max. depth 43 m (141 ft) (varying), Water volume 4 km (0.96 cu mi), Shore length 53 km (33 mi) (data from Wikipedia)
It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake) The lake is fed partly by underground springs, but its main source is the Jordan River, which flows through it from north to south, to the Dead Sea.
Since biblical times it is famous for its abundance of fish. If you travel to the area as a pilgrim, for lunch you may be served with “Peter’s Fish,” tilapia, from the Sea of Galilee.
Many of Jesus’s disciples were fishermen as we read in today’s gospel. Those disciples came from Capernaum, a town, north west of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus did much of his preaching and ministry along the shores of the sea of Galilee.
Why did Jesus call these fishermen? Why did He start his ministry around Galilee? Why didn’t He start it elsewhere or at least in Jerusalem? God is doing something different.
The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, the manifestation of Jesus to the world, can provide the answers. He came for the nations. He came for all. Jews and Gentiles alike.
May we never lose sight of this important message, salvation is for all. During the days and weeks ahead, may these actions of Jesus exemplified in concrete situations and through His way of Life illumine our own lives.
Like Hannah, Samuel, Simon and Andrew, James and John, may You and I, warmly embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is doing something different, let’s get used to it.
Happy New Year
