God calls his people to do His Will. There is no one here who is not being called by God. We are a people called by God. You can’t sit this one out. There are no sidelines or observers if you are of this people. We were included and called by our Baptism.
The Israelites were a people formed by God from ancient times, a people of shepherds and wanderers called together and formed to be one people; God’s people. Jews and Israelites are our older brothers and sisters in Salvation History. Their story is our story. Their call is our call.
Isaiah was God’s servant, saying,
“Now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him ….”
Jeremiah said he was called by God from his mother’s womb.
St. Paul says he was called by God.
John the Baptist was called, saying,
“… the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
But there is much more here. Isaiah heard from God,
“It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Around the year 931 BC the single kingdom of Israel which David and Solomon had ruled, split. The northern tribes were called “Jacob” or “Israel”. We later hear the southern tribes referred to as Judah, with their capital in Jerusalem. Later, the Assyrians captured the northern tribes, and they disappeared, leaving a great sorrow in all Jews and Israelites. God sent prophets and promises that he would,
“ … raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel”
By the time of Jesus, all that was left of God’s people were the Jews in the southern kingdom of Judah, the “Jews”.
Finally, we hear that Jesus’ first mission was to restore the tribes of Israel. Because, Israel was originally formed so that all nations could be saved by the nation of Israel, Israel was always destined by God to bring salvation to the world. God told them through Isaiah,
“I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
The Psalm provides us the proper response as God’s people,
“ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will”
St. Paul calls to gentiles (We are gentiles called to God by our Baptism), saying,
“to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”
We are “called to be Holy”; that means to be with God.
John the Baptist said, when he saw Jesus approaching him,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
And, John explained,
“… the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
And after John baptized Jesus, he said to his followers,
“Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
So, John the Baptist was called to make known to Israel that Jesus was the Son of God. Isaiah was called to prophesy about Israel and Jesus as the light to the world. Paul was called to evangelize the world outside of Israel, the gentile world. We are called to be the light to all nations.
How should we respond?
“ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will”
The Gospel today waits for our response.
“Here I am, Lord. You can count on me. You can count on me.”