Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

You Too Have Have Been Elected 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Every four years, we have a presidential election in the country. Before the actual date, those interested in running our country and government put themselves forward. In the course of the campaign, they propose their plan for the nation; we listen to them and assess them.  On election day, citizens express their likeness of one candidate over the other. In your vote, you unambiguously say to your favorite candidate, “I choose you.” This means that in a true democracy, citizens choose their political leaders through a process of election. But what if I tell you that the true and living God, the biblical God is also an electing God? Yes, the God of the bible chooses. Of all the people in the world, God chose Abraham and from him formed a great nation. Between two brothers, God chose Jacob, not Esau. Among twelve brothers, he chose Joseph and not his brothers. From all the people, he chose Moses to be a liberator. He chose Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Amos etc. to be prophets. He chose David, Solomon to be kings. From the nations of the world, God chose Israel to be his special people. So, contrary to what some people say, the God of the Bible is a person with mind, will, intention and he chooses people for his own purposes. God elects but his election is completely different from our kind of election. How? He does not always choose the best people. God does not choose people because they are specially gifted and most endowed. He does not choose people because they are worthy. It’s actually the contrary. Check this out!Wherever the election of Israel is mentioned, what you hear right away is the unworthiness of Israel. Was Israel the biggest nation at the time of their choosing? Not at all! Was Israel the most righteous of all the nations? Not at all. In fact, as Israel was about to cross the Jordan and continue their march towards the Promised Land, Moses said to them, “It is not because of your justice or the integrity of your heart” (Deuteronomy 9: 4-6) that God is giving you victory over your enemies. Moses reminded them of who they were— stiff-necked people. Add to it, look at the people that God elected: Moses, David, Solomon, Abraham, the prophets etc. None is flawless. God chose them regardless of how insufficient they were. When Jeremiah was elected by God, he objected “I do not know how to speak. I am too young (Jeremiah 1:6). What about Moses? Despite his brashness, his quick-temperedness, the fact that he had blood in his hands, God still chose him. What about David? He was an adulterer and a murderer. What about Solomon? He took the sins of adultery and idolatry to the highest level. None of these people were chosen because of their integrity and holiness. 

What is the purpose of election in the Bible? Service! In our culture, if you are elected by the people, that might elevate you. People will honor you and treat you special. But when God elects you, he has a mission for you and it is a pretty difficult one. In the Bible therefore, election is always for service, not for honor. In our first reading from the Book of Exodus, we see the election of Israel in full display. Having led the people out of slavery and having given them the Law, Yahweh says this, “You (Israel), shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” 

Israel has been chosen. Did they deserve it? No! Were they chosen so as to be glorified? No! They’ve been chosen for mission: to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In ancient Israel, who was a priest? A priest is someone who performs sacrifice. A sacrifice is an act by which God and humanity are joined. In the temple of Jerusalem, a priest performs service on behalf of the people. He is there to serve. Yahweh chose Israel that they might be a mediator for all the nations of the world. Yahweh chose Israel so that through Israel the world would be moved towards repentance and grace. Israel was the rescue operation squad that God used to save the world from sin and self-destruction. 

In the life and ministry of Jesus, this theme of election continues. How come? Because Jesus is himself the very incarnation of Yahweh, the God of Israel. In today’s Gospel, we are told that upon seeing the crowds, the heart of Jesus was moved with pity for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. What did he do? Just as God did in the Old Testament, Jesus, Yahweh made flesh, chooses the Twelve Apostles. And the number twelve is not by accident; it represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as it was in the old, Jesus chooses them not because they possess special qualities and virtues. In the New Testament, their vices were consistently mentioned. Look at Simon called Peter. He consistently misunderstood Jesus and finally denied ever knowing him. What about the two sons of Zebedee, James and John? They were consumed by personal ambition. Philip, at the Last Supper, showed that he didn’t grasp who Jesus was at all. Thomas doubted the Resurrection. Matthew, the tax collector was morally bankrupt; Simon from Cana was a violent revolutionary and Judas was a betrayer. All these people elected and chosen by God from the Old Testament to the New were chosen not because they were great. They became great because they were chosen by God. 

Having formed them, he gives them a mission, “Make this proclamation: ‘the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” The mission that Jesus gives to the Apostles, the new Israel, the Church, in many ways is the same as the one given to ancient Israel. They are to make present in their life the reign of God. They are to bring God to human beings and human beings to God. That’s why St. Peter calls us, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart” (1 Peter 2:9) and for what purpose? To proclaim the praise of God who brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light. If you have been baptized, you are a participant in the New Israel, which is the Church. You have also been elected. But don’t forget this stubborn fact: you’ve been chosen not because of your virtues but because of God’s grace. You are chosen not because you are great, but you are great because you have been chosen. And like the prophets, like the Twelve Apostles, you have been given a mission to find your own holiness by bringing others to holiness; to find God by bringing others into friendship with God. Your purpose now is not only to save your soul alone, but to also be a conduit, a vehicle of salvation to others. The same God who elected Israel, who elected the prophets has elected you too.