Gospel Acclamation: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening; You have the words of everlasting life.

This Gospel acclamation is a compilation of two Bible verses, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. When we pray them together, we first express our invitation to God to speak to us and our assurance that are minds and hearts are open to hearing and obeying. Then we acknowledge that God's words lead to everlasting life.

The first clause Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening comes from 1 Samuel 3:10. The young Samuel has been sleeping in the house of the Lord where the Ark of the Covenant is. Just think of sleeping in peace before God like that. But Samuel is not having a particularly peaceful night. Someone keeps calling his name. Three times, Samuel thinks the priest Eli is calling him, and he gets up and goes to Eli at once. But Eli has not called. Finally, the third time, Eli realizes what is happening. God is trying to talk to Samuel. Eli tells the boy what to do, and when Samuel hears his name again, he says with a humble confidence, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.” With those words, Samuel presents himself to God in an openness that is willing to hear and obey God's words.

The second clause You have the words of everlasting life is first found in Psalm 19, but Peter makes it his own in John 6:68. Jesus has been speaking to the Jews about how He is the bread that has come down from Heaven and how everyone must eat of this bread of life. Many of those who have been following Jesus leave Him at this point. Jesus turns to the apostles and asks if they, too, will go. Peter replies, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Eternal and everlasting life. Peter recognizes that such is only found in Jesus. Like Samuel, he opens his mind and heart even though he does not fully understand.