CHOSEN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of Christ’s Baptism is, “Chosen.”

I chose that title and that theme from the first sentence from one of today’s possible first readings - Isaiah 42: 1, “Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.”

And we’ll find that theme in today’s gospel when Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice from heaven says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

FEELINGS - EVOKING FEELINGS

So after spotting that theme of being chosen, I began thinking about what “Chosen” is about.

It hit me that This theme of chosen - being chosen - feeling I’m chosen - can evoke some powerful feelings.

We’ve all heard stories about issues of being chosen when it comes to sports. Who starts - who doesn’t? Who makes the team - who doesn’t? We’ve heard parents screaming from the stands at coaches for not putting their son or daughter into the game.

It happens in academics. Somewhere along the line we choose or accepted ourselves as a A or a B or a C student. That choice or acceptance could have sculpted our future classroom and life experiences. Who makes the National Honor Society - who doesn’t? That might have brought scholarship money or getting into a college of our choice. It could also have brought bragging rights. Not making the National Honor Society or a  Dean’s List can impact our whole life. It can also cause angry phone calls. It can cause people to take their kids out of a school or write letters or make nasty phone calls to principals and to teachers.

Being chosen happens at work - who gets jobs - who gets the glory - who gets a name for herself or himself.

It can happen in families. One kid feels that mom and dad prefers an older or another brother or sister much more than me.

A key word that is often found in all these situations is the word, “fair”.

Listen to kids for 30 minutes and you’ll hear the word “fair” a half dozen times. It could be size of cake cuts and slices or the amount of frosting on a piece of cake.

Another key theme when it comes to this issue of being chosen is comparisons.

Then there is the opposite - being rejected - and feelings of being rejected or being in second or last place.

I’ve heard people talk about so and so being a teacher’s favorite - and getting an award - and that person is still angry about a specific teacher and the other kid and this happened 55 years ago.

Not fair.

Take the major reality of life - falling in love and marriage. Here humans can experience both being chosen by another as well as rejection by another. A wedding and a divorce - and all that leads up to both these realities - the stuff of life. 

I played baseball for the Bay Ridge Robins in my grammar school years and the manager put his brother in to play first base the whole season - except for one out. That was my only chance  to star. I didn’t. I sat on the bench that whole season. So I can relate to being a sub - a person in waiting.

Not fair.

THE CHOSEN

Somewhere along the line you might have heard mention of a book entitled, The Chosen. It was chosen for various awards. It sold 3.4 million copies worldwide. It was written by Chaim Potok - a writer and a rabbi. He served in the Korean War as a U.S. Army Jewish chaplain.

It deals with two Jewish boys - Danny and Reuven - who grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. It deals with their fathers. It deals with religion - and different groups within a religion. It deals with comparisons.

Danny Saunders one of the boys was chosen since childhood to be a rabbi of a strict Jewish Sect when he grows up. His  friend, Reuven Malter, is from another Jewish sect - more liberal.

It won’t ruin the book to say that Reuven in the end decides to be a rabbi and Danny the Chosen One decides to become a psychologist.

The book begins with both boys playing baseball for their respective Jewish  religious teams. Danny hits Reuven in the face with a baseball - forcing him to go to the hospital and Danny goes to see the kid he hit in the face smashing his glasses.

It takes a while, but they become lifetime friends.

The book deals with how fathers raise their sons - and how fathers deal with sons who choose a different way of life than the one’s their fathers choose for them.

A reader - especially a man - will certainly do a lot of thinking about his dad - and compares their dad to the dads of their friends.  For example, in The Chosen Reuven notices that  Danny’s father, the Rabbi, only speaks to - better - at Danny. And when he speaks it’s only religious comments. All else is silence. And surprise Reuven’s father is the one who gets Danny to read a lot more than Jewish religion material.

It will get a father thinking about a son’s choices.

The book is weak on women, moms and daughters - but the issue of choices - influencing - what we want for our kids - certainly will hit us.

So too the book will get us thinking about religious choices - going to worship - not going to worship - being stretched and being challenged - all the struggles young people go through as they move into their futures.

BACK TO JESUS

When we read the Gospels, when we hear the story of Jesus, we hear over and over again the question of Father and Son. We also heard in the gospel last Sunday - the feast of the Holy Family - about Joseph and Mary searching for Jesus - who stayed behind in Jerusalem - feeling he has to do his Father - God’s - business.

Certainly he surprised Mary and perhaps Joseph if he was still alive when Jesus a carpenter becomes a rabbi.

Was he surprised when he heard in the waters that day - a voice from on high, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased”?

I’ve read that Jesus wanted everyone he met to experience the same feeling he felt in being recognized, chosen, called, and told he was pleasing to God our Father. So he went about choosing and calling people by name.

US

Each of us has to deal with this issue of “chosen”.

As well as the theme of fairness and comparisons.

All our lives we wrestle with how our dads and moms saw us - interacted with us.

We’re here in Church - so we deal with God and religion issues.

Catholics - Christians - Jews - Mormons - Muslims - deal with chosen questions.

I would assume each religious group, parish, sect, sub-groups - has to deal with feelings of who we are. Am I in the right religion - the right community?

I would assume we have to listen to Jesus on how we see, how we treat each other, Jesus had the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, judging him constantly.

I would assume that issue of judging others - feeling better or worse than others - because of looks, clothes, skin color, weight, height, age, nationality, background, place of origin - what have you - being chosen or feeling I’m on the bench or not even on the team - are life issues.

CONCLUSION

In giving out communion - especially at high school Masses - I’ve seen kids having the name of their boyfriend or girlfriend - ballpoint penned on the palm of their hand. “Body of Christ! Amen.”

Well, I would think it would be a good reflection to imagine ourselves going up the aisle to God in communion and opening up the palm of God’s hand. Surprise we see our name carved right there. [Cf. Isaiah 46:16]

Then we look God in the eye - eye to eye - and see his smile and his love for us. Then to hear God say, “You are my beloved daughter - my beloved Son - with you I am well pleased.”

And hopefully, we figure out the great life message of Christianity. Jesus starts as a baby - with great drama - angels and shepherds and Magi - come to see him. Jesus is the chosen one. Then we get hints of possible rejection.  Then we realize by Lent that Jesus is the Big Rejected One. The beatings, the crown of thorns, the death on the Cross, is the ultimate rejection. That’s Good Friday. Easter Sunday - the Resurrection of Jesus - screams out - loud and clear - that Jesus is the Great Chosen One. Amen.