This is Samuel’s response to the priest Eli ( ^1st reading) but it is also the response that we are invited (each and every one of us) to make to God at the start of the year. By our baptism, we are all called to holiness. This is our calling.

Holiness seems inaccessible to us and in any case, not for today. Now, if we think about it, we can only live holiness today: yesterday is no longer here and tomorrow is not yet here. We are left with “God’s today.” This is what we translate into Latin “ hic ” (here) and “ nunc ” (now). Holiness is not to be conquered but to be welcomed. We often think that we must accomplish extraordinary things, go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel, sleep little, eat little, own nothing. Whereas holiness consists of putting God at the heart of our life, in our state duty and as we are at this moment.

To a person who said to Saint Jean-Marie Vianney who spent a large part of his day in the church (15 hours of confessions per day, at the end of his life): “I will do like you”, the Holy Curé replied: “Especially not! You will go home to take care of your children, your husband, your house and only then you will come to church. It is your state duty, it is your vocation. This is where the Lord is calling you. »

The word “ vocation ” comes from the Latin word “ vocare ” which means “to call”. The will of God can take very varied forms, depending on the age, the context, the country, the talents received… There is the daily life and the major orientations of our life: marriage for the majority, consecrated life in the priesthood, religious life, consecrated lay life, celibacy… But as Saint Mother Teresa says: “What matters is not what we do but the amount of love we put into what we do”.

We must discern what the Lord expects of us. “Come and see” Jesus advised the disciples of John the Baptist. At the beginning of the year, let us not hesitate to take time for God in order to become aware of God’s view of us and to put it into practice. “You called me, here I am,” and our year will be beautiful, radiant and holy.