பாஸ்கா காலத்து 5ம் ஞாயிறு
18.05.2014
18.05.2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Chosen to be A PRIESTLY PEOPLE
V Sunday of the Easter Season: 18th May, 2014
Acts 6: 1-7; 1 Pet 2: 4-9; Jn 14: 1-12
God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy
and blameless before God in love” (Eph 1:4). That is our identity; we are a
chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s own people in order that we
may proclaim the mighty acts of God, the God who has called us from darkness
into his marvelous light (1 Pet 2:9). What is out identity of ourselves?
Are we merely people who are looking upto God for some favours? People
who wait on God to come and solve our everyday problems? People complaining to
God about those around us who are not living upto our expectations,
disappointing us, troubling us, not understanding us or causing us grief? Can
we take a breath and imagine what identity God has invested in us and to what
level we have diluted in our daily living of our faith.
We are Chosen…
It is not by chance that I am a Christian, I am chosen. Recently, Anandhi
(name changed) a girl of another faith, came to me asking to be prepared for baptism.
She was in love with Alfred (name changed), a Catholic and wanted to marry him in
the Church. After all the preparation, finally I asked, “Who brought you to
this intention of receiving Baptism?” Without hesitation, Anandhi said, “Alfred.”
I smiled at her and took the opportunity to tell her, ‘It is truly Christ who
has brought you to Baptism’. It is the Lord who has chosen us dear friends and
it is not the other way around: “You did not choose me, but I chose you”, says
the Lord (Jn 15:16). It is the Lord who has chosen you and me, and all that we
need to do is happily walk holding his hand.
We are Chosen to belong…
Last week we celebrated the Good Shepherd Sunday and we prayed for
Vocations to Priesthood and Religious Life. That is a special call, a call for
a ministry, just like Stephen and the 6 others are chosen today in the first
reading for a special task – that is what we call Ministerial Priesthood. But
there is another call that is universal… that is the call to Royal Priesthood…
each and every one who is chosen in Christ, who is washed in the waters of
baptism, is called to this priesthood. Yes! We are all priests unto the Lord!
We are Chosen Race, Royal Priesthood… We have a special call to belong to the
Lord. That is the crux of this priesthood. The ordained priests are ordained
for a special ministry, while all of us share in the priesthood of Christ. The
Priesthood of Christ consists in belonging to the Father. “I am in the Father
and the Father is in me” says the Lord (Jn 14:11). The priesthood that we share
with Christ is to be in God, the Father and Mother; to belong to God, to be
grafted on to God, to remain in God as the branches remain in the wine and give
fruit.
We are Chosen to belong forever…
In belonging to the Lord, in remaining with Christ, in sharing the
priesthood of Christ we inherit the greatest of all patrimonies: a dwelling
place in the courts of the Lord. That is what is prepared for us, that if we
belong in our life to God, we would belong to God forever even in death. Christ
has gone before us to prepare this place for us, and when he comes we should
still belong to God, we should still be his Priestly People, that we may
receive that dwelling place prepared for us!
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