We have all experienced the over-exuberant co-worker or classmate who always has the right answers and, at times, that can be very difficult to stomach.
Consider how the other disciples might have felt towards the overly exuberant Peter. By giving the right answer about Jesus being the Messiah before anyone else, Jesus chose him to hold a special place in the life of the Church for all time. You can be sure that the other disciples believed this was unfair; that they deserved a chance to lead the early Church.
Scriptures abound with evidence that, for whatever reason, God chooses those people who others believe to be weak. Throughout salvation history, there are examples of God singling out one frail person after another to lead the People of God.
Genesis starts with God choosing Abraham, a dying older man, to become the father of a new nation. Some might ask: Wouldn't a healthy and vital person have been a more logical choice? Against cultural tradition, God seems to have a preference for choosing the youngest son for leadership and greatness —Jacob, Joseph, David. Look at the extraordinary characters chosen to be the prophets: Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, Elisha, and Ezekiel.
If we look at how God chose to live among us, we might ask: Why should God want to take frail human form — and why a simple Galilean peasant in that primitive world of the first century?
As we contemplate that God has chosen us for great things, it is good to reflect on the words of Jesus in John's Gospel when he says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you."
We have a choosing God, who chooses the weak and the strong. The Hebrews certainly had no reason to feel very "chosen" when they were slaving about in Pharaoh's brickyard, but they were. Joseph did not appear very "chosen" when he was sold off into slavery by his brothers, but he was. John the Baptist was undoubtedly "chosen," yet his mission and message kept him first in the wilderness and then in prison.
Each one of us has been chosen as well. God chose us to be the Body of Christ on Earth and to call others to see that they were chosen to be that same Body. However, many things can get in the way and cause us to doubt that God has chosen us for anything.
Can we still feel and see our "chosenness" when our lives seem to be at a standstill? When we have not received a promotion at work that we deserved, can we still congratulate our colleague and know our day is coming? When you're 13, and your face is breaking out, and your voice is cracking, and your body seems to have a mind of its own, can you still rejoice in your humanity, a form that Christ shares with you? When you have retired from your lifelong work and suddenly find your familiar self-identity gone, can you eagerly look forward to God's next call?
God chooses us not just once, but over and over again throughout our lives. God chooses us to help embody the life and mission of the incarnate LORD every day. Our job is to listen for that call, choose to answer it, and act according to it.+
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