“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” -Psalm 40:8-9
The Psalm often gives us a hint at the “theme” of the readings during Mass. It is usually sung or simply chanted and allows us to meditate on the theme by engaging our bodies and hearts in a different way. When we sing sacred music, we use our body, mind, and spirit together to praise God. The Psalm should focus our hearts and lead us into a more receptive place to continue hearing God’s Word proclaimed. The quote above is the Responsorial part of the Psalm for this Sunday, the part the congregation repeats with the cantor. It’s the part that likely may remain with you long after Mass is over.
The Psalmist is proclaiming his discipleship: “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.” This is the same response that Samuel gave the Lord when He heard His voice calling to Him in the night. Thinking it was Eli calling out, Samuel replied three times: “Here I am” (Samuel 3:4). The response Eli taught Samuel is the response we are all called to keep at the ready: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (Samuel 3:10).
This is the crux of what it means to be a disciple, to listen to the voice of God in prayer, to beg Him to speak to us, then to do His will as His servant. It’s a willingness to be taught and the obedience to follow the Lord’s steps. This calls me to ask myself, how am I following God’s will in the everyday circumstances of my life? How can I listen to Him more intently? How can I be more obedient? How can I more closely follow the Lord?
Jesus, here I am. I am ready to follow wherever You lead me. Help me to respond to you like Samuel and St. Andrew in today’s readings. Create the heart of an obedient disciple in me.