«You called me, here I am!»
of Mother Anna Maria Cánopi osb
“The word of the Lord was rare in those days.” So we read at the beginning of the third chapter of the first book of Samuel. The Word that had created the heavens, that had called Abraham, Moses, the prophets and that had guided the chosen people step by step on the long journey of the exodus, taking them from the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land, has now become rare. But if the Word is missing, it follows that humanity and the entire creation risk returning to the initial chaos. It is the Word of God, in fact, that makes us live and sustains us in life: «In the beginning was the Word, / and the Word was with God / and the Word was God... / Everything was made through him / and without him nothing was made that exists" (Jn 1,1-3 passim).
But why was the Word rare in those days? Because there was no one to listen to her. We must, then, say that the Word was not rare, but that it fell into the void, as happens when water is allowed to flow without channeling it, so that it is wasted and the earth remains arid and infertile.
Nobody seemed to worry about the danger, nobody was shaken. The same elderly priest Eli - older in spirit than in years - tiredly dragged out his existence in the sanctuary of Shiloh and no longer had the energy to recall and correct his children, despite knowing that with their debauchery they were unfaithful to God , they dishonored the sanctuary and led the people away from the way of the Lord. In the squalor of this situation, God made his voice heard. While everyone was sleeping in the sanctuary and, alone, the dim light of the lamp shone in the darkness, the last sign of hope, here was an unexpected call: "Samuel!" (1 Sam 3,4).
Samuel was the "son of grace", given by God to Anna who, barren, had implored him with hot tears and heartfelt prayer. This in itself is very significant: through the supplication of a woman a child is born and the Lord has a particular plan for him, for the good of all the people. He is the "little remnant" who is always saved in general infidelity.
Having received her son as a gift, Anna raised him with maternal care until he was weaned, then took him with her to the sanctuary to offer him to the Lord, finding her joy in making the gift received a gift offered.
Samuel, therefore, grew up in the sanctuary under the gaze of the Lord, day and night, completely consecrated to his service, ready to listen and do what the priest Eli told him. For this reason, when he heard his name called during the night, he immediately replied: "Here I am!" and with the promptness of an obedience that puts wings on your feet he ran to Eli telling him: "You called me, here I am!". Who, if not him, in fact, could have called him at that unusual hour? But the elderly priest, awakened by the sudden arrival of the boy, replied: "I didn't call you, go back to sleep!". Samuel went back to sleep, and the Lord again called: "Samuel!", a second and then a third time. And Samuel always immediately got up without delay, running to Eli and repeating his "Here I am" every time like the first time.
In the Bible, Samuel's here I am stands out precisely for his simple and ready availability, for his immediacy, which does not calculate, does not offer any resistance. It is the here I am that reveals in him a free, eager, confident heart.
When Samuel presents himself to Eli for the third time, the priest understands that these are not dreams, but a real call from the Lord. Then turning to the child he teaches him how to respond. At first he sends him back to sleep with a strong command: "Go to sleep", as if to make sure that there is no room for imaginations and fantasies, but only the Word of the Lord resonates. Then he adds: «If he calls you, you will say: “Speak, Lord, because your servant listens to you”». Obediently, Samuel goes back to bed in his place. At this point the biblical text shows a beautiful picture: "The Lord came and stood beside him again", like a father who stops next to his sleeping child. Then, twice he calls him: "Samuel, Samuel!". And Samuel immediately responds as the priest Eli taught him: «Speak, because your servant listens to you». Then the Lord reveals a great message to the little one, announcing to him that he is about to "do justice", to bring order back to his house and truth to his people.
In the morning, as usual, Samuel opens the doors of the house of the Lord. This is also a detail not to be overlooked. Every morning is always like a new beginning. God gives us a new day to begin serving him faithfully again. For Samuele, the day that begins is truly "new". During the night he received the "baptism of the Word", he was initiated into listening to the Lord; this son of Anna, this son of grace, welcomed the announcement of the Lord for all the people, an announcement that concerns the whole history of Israel, the whole history of salvation which goes towards the fullness of time.
Questioned by Eli, he reveals everything to him, with transparency, without keeping anything hidden. Upon hearing the terrible sentence, the elderly priest shakes off his "heaviness" and humbly replies: «It is the Lord! Let him do what seems good to him." Thus one era ends and another begins. Samuel is, like John the Baptist, the "prophet" who makes the chosen people make a new transition.
He - the Holy Scripture notes - "grew and the Lord was with him, nor did he let a single word of his go to waste" (1 Sam 3,19:XNUMX). The word was "rare", with Samuel it spreads again, because - like Mary - he welcomes it in a pure heart, guards it with care and transmits it in all its truth, even when this truth will be painful, since he is always a prophet has a difficult task. From stage to stage, Samuele repeats his "Here I am!" faithfully, without ever putting his will before the will of God, his thoughts before God's plan.
So he will be the one to anoint Saul king of Israel and have to remove him, rebuking him for his sin and reminding him that listening to the Word and obedience are the most authentic expression of fidelity to God: «Obeying is better than sacrifice, being docile is better than the fat of rams" (1 Sam 15,22:XNUMX). He will once again anoint David as king, in place of Saul, from whose lineage the Messiah will be born.
Everything was a "gift" in Samuel's life and he responded to the gift with the here I am of obedience which becomes a total offering for the glory of God and the good of all.
Lord, God of grace and faithfulness,
who gives to the little ones and the poor
the abundance of your Spirit of Wisdom,
create a pure heart in us
pay attention to your Word,
to walk uprightly on your path
along the winding paths of history
towards the true Promised Land.
Everything is your gift, Lord:
welcome our "Here I am" today
of full availability to your will
and support us with your grace
to bring to fruition
our loving service.
Amen