Very nice... God Is NOT Fair Mr. John Henry August 22, 2014 All youngsters are infallible in one thing. From the womb they have a keen sense of what is fair, and what is not so fair. As soon as they can utter a word, the pleas for fairness come forth. If cousin Billy gets extra time on the swing or one more french fry or superhero thematically designed velcro shoes, they cry: “that’s not fair!” In grown men, this childish sensibility takes on new forms. “Your Sunday Mass is only 45 minutes!” “You got what tax benefit?” “Your wife lets you play golf how many times each week?” And in a more sophisticated manner, though perhaps with drier eyes, we too cry: “that’s not fair!” Further, as American men, this sense of “fairness” is particularly developed. We live in a democratic society after all. Everybody’s vote counts; we all have a voice; we can make a difference. And then we read the Bible. There we are scandalized. Why? Because God is not fair. God chooses people. And he doesn’t choose others. This is called divine election. This Sunday’s Gospel from the 16th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is a great example of God’s unfairness. After Jesus asks his disciples who others are saying that he is, he confronts them point blank: “But who do you say that I am?” And here we encounter St. Peter’s greatest moment: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus’ response to Peter’s great confession is supremely fascinating: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” Basically: “Good job, Pete. You done well. But, my Father gave you that answer.” And then, Jesus dubs this sinner a rock with keys to heaven and earth. But wait, “that’s not fair!” Why Peter? What about his brother, Andrew? or James or John? or Philip? or Bartholomew? or Matthew? or Thomas? or that lesser James? or the good Judas (not the Iscariot of course)? In front of them all, Jesus unabashedly points to Peter. Why? The profound answer is: deal with it. This question of divine election is a very common one within the tradition of our Church. Why does God choose some people and not others? The saints have asked such questions. At the very beginning of Story of a Soul, St.Thérèse of Lisieux asks: “I wondered for a long time why God has preferences, why all souls don’t receive an equal amount of graces?” Learning from the “book of nature,” she considers how a garden would spoil if all the flowers were great roses, and that the garden is made lovely by its very variety. Nevertheless, the sun shines on them all. Then this Doctor enunciates her cure: “Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.” Simply, all are called to holiness (shout out Vatican II) for the coming of the kingdom of God. Some tasks are great and others are small. And who decides? God does. And here our second reading for this Sunday comes to the forefront: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways” (Rom 11:33)! It is not for us to know why some are chosen and why others are not. Truly, only God knows why. We bow before the mystery in faith and let it unfold according to his plan. So, God picks and chooses. He does not play fair. Though we do not know why he chooses particular people (like Peter) or particular nations (like Israel), we can be certain of one thing: God chooses some for the sake of others. Divine election is ordered to mission. He chose Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles. He chose Peter to provide the faithful throughout the ages with a divinely secured doctrine. The chosen are not to rest in their divine election as though on a throne, but to lay down their lives after the pattern of their Savior. But let’s bring this closer to home. Are you chosen? a) As a man: Yes! As Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI so beautifully wrote: “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” There are no accidents with God. We are chosen by the very fact of our existence. b) As a Christian: Yes! As a baptized man, truly are you the salt of the earth and light of the world. You have been introduced into a relationship with the ideal man, the Lord of history, the Savior of the world: Jesus Christ. But we know unbelievers… what about them? This is where our own election is given a mission. We are called to witness our faith in Christ in ways great and small so as to bring others into their own election. St. Peter was a man who owned his election and fulfilled his mission for the good of others. God chose him and he responded. We live in a generation of Christian men who are quick to leave the task of holiness to others: the priests or nuns or Grandpa Pat, who always prays the beads. This is not humility, but a supreme shirking of the universal call to holiness according to God’s will. During his conversion, St. Ignatius of Loyola pondered: “The saints were of the same frame as I. Why should I not do as they have done? What if I should do what Saint Francis of Assisi or Saint Dominic did?” And on this reflection he founded the Jesuit Order and became one of the most influential men in the history of the Church. The saints were of the same frame. Why should you not do as they have done? What if you should do what your patron did? If you accomplish the task God has entrusted to you, no matter how grand or how small, you will have followed in their footsteps.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 11:03:36 +0000
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