“In him we were chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.” I’m sure you’re all familiar with a form of prayer called “lectio divina.” It’s a very simple and effective way to deep prayer and it involves selecting a passage in the Bible for reflection, meditation, prayer, resting in God and finally, action according to God’s plan. I use it frequently and hope that you do, as well. I have found it particularly helpful over this past year as we all struggled with a new reality of life in the face of the coronavirus.
In preparing for this Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration, I was struck by this one line from our second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and felt compelled to spend some time on just this one line. Allow me to offer some of the fruits of my prayer with this passage for your reflection. Notice that the passage begins with “In him we were chosen.” Just like the prophet Amos in today’s first reading and the twelve apostles in today’s Gospel, we were all chosen by God for the express purpose, as we hear at the end of the passage: “for the praise of his glory.” God, in his inscrutable wisdom, has chosen each one of us – created us to praise his glory. We hear in the very beginning of the Bible that God created humanity – personified in Adam and Eve – to take care of his creation, to tend his garden. He now intends for us to care for the world he has created and to proclaim the gospel of salvation he has proclaimed through the prophets – like Amos in today’s first reading – and most clearly through his son, Jesus. And, just as God called Amos to be more than just a shepherd and dresser of sycamores, just as Jesus called his disciples to be more than fishermen or tax collectors, we are called to be more. Many of us approach our faith and relationship with Jesus like Amos or some of the apostles – with hesitation and disclaimers – wondering if God really chose us, whether or not we’re good enough. The good news for each of us today is that God has already chosen us, and sends us out on a mission that we can accomplish through his grace, power and authority. And, it doesn’t depend on our natural abilities, educational background or social status. Look at the men he first chose to be his disciples: uneducated fishermen and a despised tax collector.
The first thing we need to realize is that it’s not all up to us. Jesus didn’t just call the disciples and then send them out saying, “Do your best!” He first spent some time with them, teaching them and showing them his power and authority. Then, he sent them out and gave them authority. As we strive to act as disciples of Jesus and to carry out the mission which he has entrusted to us, we do so with some background ourselves.
We have all learned a little about God and his son, Jesus, and we have received his authority through our baptism and confirmation. And, we must recognize that Jesus is not standing at a distance watching us, grading us or critiquing us. Jesus is here in the midst of our struggles giving us strength and in the midst of our victories rejoicing with us. He does not ask us to go out with only our natural abilities, but gives us his strength, power, authority and grace through the Holy Spirit that we all receive at our baptism and confirmation. All that is necessary is for us to receive these gifts and use them in his name.
Second, we are not alone. Look around you right here and you will see that there are people here who are your brothers and sisters in Christ – we are not alone in this mission! Jesus sent his disciples out two by two, and we, too, are encouraged to find others who can walk with us as we strive to follow Jesus. We have some terrific ways of doing that right here in our parish – through Mothers of Young Children, Walking with Purpose, Knights of Columbus, our Evangelization Team, Men’s and Women’s Evenings of Reflection and Bible Study/Faith Sharing – where many of us find the companionship and encouragement we need to walk with our Lord and speak about him to those we meet in our everyday lives. Our school and PREP and youth ministry help you, our children, in the same way.
In today’s first reading, we hear from the prophet Amos. He is a minor prophet; it would be understandable if you didn’t know much about him. He had been a simple shepherd, tending his flocks out in the country, when God called him to speak to his people in ancient Israel. And, in today’s second reading, we hear from St. Paul. We all know his background. He started out as a persecutor of the first Christians but, after repenting, he turned out to be one of the greatest apostles of all time.
As we begin this week, another week that God has given us for his praise and glory, I invite you to do what I did – take some time to reflect on today’s readings – perhaps just one line, as I did – and bring it to prayer before God. Listen to him speak to you and discover how you can – as a mother or father, son or daughter, neighbor or business colleague – work for the praise of God’s glory. Like Amos, like the first apostles, like St. Paul, we are all called by our Lord to go out and make known the wondrous things our God has done for us through his son, Jesus Christ. What a blessing that is for each of us!