Hearing God’s Voice (2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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In Hebrew, Samuel’s name means “God heard” (Shmu’ El). His name is a reference to the fact that his birth came about as a result of God listening to the supplications of his mother, Hannah, who had been barren for many years (the story is recounted in 1 Samuel 1-2). As thanks for hearing her prayer, Hannah dedicated Samuel to God, and Samuel was raised in the house of God by Eli the priest.

Thus, Samuel grew up surrounded by holy things and holy people. Despite this, he did not immediately know the Lord. It was only when Eli informed him that the voice he was hearing was the Lord’s that he came to know God and receive his commission as a prophet. This teaches us that it is important to have more spiritually aware people in our lives to attune us to God’s voice, so that we can more readily recognize Him when He calls out to us. It also teaches us that simply being around religious places and people does not guarantee a relationship with God. While those things help, ultimately we have to form that relationship through the exercise of our own will.

The pairing of 1 Samuel 3 with John 1:35-42 as our Gospel reading is also significant, as the parallels between the two are striking. In the Gospel account, Andrew recognizes Jesus’ divine origin immediately, but his brother Simon does not initially do so, and has to be informed by Andrew of this fact. Despite his initial skepticism, Simon would go on to be chosen by Christ as the first leader of the Church, just as Samuel led Israel as the final judge before the monarchy was established. Here, we see that the events of the Old Testament reading serve as a foreshadowing of the event told in the Gospel, making Samuel a type of St. Peter.

J. Luis Dizon