Being Chosen
Jesus is taken by God or, better, chosen by God. Jesus is the Chosen One. From all eternity God has chosen his most precious Child to become the savior of the world. Being chosen expresses a special relationship, being known and loved in a unique way, being singled out. In our society our being chosen always implies that others are not chosen. But this is not true for God. God chooses his Son to reveal to us our chosenness.
In the Kingdom of God there is no competition or rivalry. The Son of God shares his chosenness with us. In the Kingdom of God each person is precious and unique, and each person has been given eyes to see the chosenness of others and rejoice in it.
Being Blessed
Jesus is the Blessed One. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you” (Mark I: II). This was the blessing that sustained Jesus during his life. Whatever happened to him-praise or blame-he clung to his blessing; he always remembered that he was the favorite child of God.
Jesus came into the world to share that blessing with us. He came to open our ears to the voice that also says to us, “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, my favor rests on you.” When we can hear that voice, trust in it, and remember it, especially during dark times, we can live our lives as God’s blessed children and find the strength to share this blessing with others.
Beyond Jealousy
Jealousy arises easily in our hearts. In the parable of the prodigal son, the elder son is jealous that his younger brother gets such a royal welcome even though he and his loose women swallowed up his father’s property (see Luke 15:30). And in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, the workers who worked the whole day are jealous that those who came at the eleventh hour received the same pay as they did (see Matthew 20:1-16). But the Father says to the older son, “You are with me always and all I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). And the landowner says, “Why should you be envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15).
When we truly enjoy God’s unlimited generosity, we will be grateful for what our brothers and sisters receive. Jealousy will simply have no place in our hearts.
Downward Mobility
The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record-that’s what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame.
The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life.
~From Henri J.M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith
