CHOSEN TO CHOOSE GOD - 05/20/22 (Friday of the 5th Week of Easter)

Acts 15:22,28

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsab'bas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 

28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

John 15:15-16

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

For more information on the Optional Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-20---saint-bernardine-of-siena-priest/

Blessed Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena! Jesus calls us His friends. The reason for this is that He makes known to His disciples, and to us, the truth from the Father. Our Lord preached the gospel in His ministry, not just for the audience, but for His disciples, so they could proclaim the good news of salvation to many nations. In the gospel, our Lord Jesus reminded us the truth that He chose us. When He said, "You did not choose Me", He did not mean that we should not choose Him in our lives. But, the point that our Savior is emphasizing is that He chooses us for a particular mission for us to choose Him in our lives. And, it's only by God's grace that we can do this. 

There are times when we see some Catholics who do not practice our faith and complain that they are unable to choose the religion they want because of being baptized as baby. It is sad to see that others are unaware of the treasure of our faith. And yet, precisely because we are baptized, this shows us that we are truly chosen by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be faithful Catholics. We should love one another in the same way that Jesus loves us. As Catholics, God desires for us to proclaim the truth of our faith and the gospel to many people, starting with our family, friends and loved ones. 

It is unfortunate when we are tempted, and when we sometimes fall, to be ashamed to express our faith because of people around us who do not believe what we believe. But, why should we be ashamed if God calls us to be Catholics? As it's written in the first reading, the apostles were diligent in sharing the teachings of the Catholic Church. We also have assurance that the Holy Spirit is guiding His Church. Let's be firm in doing our responsibility of proclaiming the good news of our faith in our works and in our deeds. May we choose God by using different means, including our social media, to share knowledge about the Catholic Church whether it's about our doctrines, gospel reflections, prayers, and others. 

Our Lord Jesus tells us that we will bear fruit if we ask the Father in His name. He is teaching us about the necessity of our prayers in our spiritual life. Whenever we are tempted to reject our Catholic faith, let's constantly seek Jesus in prayer and beg help from Him to reject such temptations. At the same time, since we are chosen by God, our prayer life should be integrated with our personal life. This means that it is pleasing to God for us to use our silent time in our prayers such as rosary and other devotions, reflection on the Scriptures and books written by saints, examination of our conscience, and other prayers as well. To participate in the Mass every Sunday and holy days of obligation is also an expression of our love and faith in God, most especially when we profess our faith by citing the Creed. Our God, who chose us first, will guide us to salvation if we always choose Him.

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic