Today we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was a bishop in the early church, 1st century. He was martyred for his faith. While he was on his way to being executed, he wrote several letters to christian communities.
In one of these letters he is exhorting the faithful with these words. He tells them that he is now just only beginning to be a true disciple. In fact, he reminds the faithful that all disciples must always consider themselves to be just beginning. When we think we have arrived, then that is the moment we are most likely to fall.
We must start over each day in beginning to follow Jesus.
St. Paul tells us in the letter to Ephesians that "in Christ we are chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will...as God' s possession."
When were we chosen?
First of all it is important to notice that it wasn't we who chose but we who were chosen. We do not choose to follow Christ, he chooses us. We do not find Christ, he finds us.
He accepts us, then we can accept him. Baptism doesn't represent our accepting Jesus, baptism is about Jesus' willingness to accept us. We receive faith just as we receive son ship.
When did he do this?
We often think about the crucifixion of Jesus in a painful reality. It hurt! Yet, the crucifixion, Jesus being nailed to the cross, wasn't primarily about punishment, or our guilt, but rather the nails, as they are driven into the flesh of Jesus and into the wood of the cross ,is the moment we are chosen.
Behold the wood of the cross upon which hung the savior of the world. When Jesus chose to embrace the cross, that is the moment he chose each of us to belong to God as His possession.
Not only is the crucifixion the hour we are chosen, but it is also at the cross we understand Jesus' words in the gospel, "Do not be afraid, You are worth more than many sparrows."
There at the foot of the cross we are chosen; there at the foot of the cross we understand just how valuable we are in the eyes of God. As Jesus' blood runs down the wood of the cross we are awaken to the reality that we are "worth more than..."
This is where we go, at the foot of the cross, to begin a new our journey to become a disciple of Jesus, embracing our calling to be one of the chosen.
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