LOVED AND CHOSEN

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

With a thankful heart, Paul remembers his mission among the Thessalonians, praying for them. He gives thanks to God because they showed their “faith in action worked for love and persevered through hope”. (1 Th 1:3).

This passage brings to mind my own experience, mainly in Lubengele, Chililabombwe. I found so many people profoundly committed, strong in their faith and living guided and supported by hope, the hope that they find in Jesus Christ. They accepted me as one of their, confiding in me and entrusting me with their joys and their sorrows. We walked together in faith, having Jesus as our way.

Speaking to the Thessalonians, Paul told them: “We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen”. (1 Th 1:4) These words apply to all of us: We know that God loves and that we have been chosen. And we cannot keep silent about it. This is a good news that we cannot keep for ourselves. It is a secret that we cannot keep, that we have to broadcast far and wide. This love that we receive from God impels us to share it so that others mays experience the same love. 

In the Catholic Church, this Sunday is called the Mission Sunday or the World Mission Day. For this year, Pope Francis put forward the following theme: “Mission at the heart of the Christian faith”. To be a missionary is a must because we believe. Once we have experienced being loved and being chosen, we become witnesses of that love and we are always ready to explain the reasons of our believe and to announce to all far and near that Jesus is the Saviour, that he is the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6).

The faith in Jesus Christ is not something that we can hide. How can we hide the fact that we live guided by faith, “rooted and built up in him (Jesus Christ)”? (Col 2:6) Without being missionary, the Church “would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one group among many others that soon end up serving their purpose and passing away.” (Pope Francis). “The Church’s mission, then, is not to spread a religious ideology, much less to propose a lofty ethical teaching.” (Pope Francis). The Church’s mission is to lead people to Christ and to facilitate their encounter with him, so that they may feel loved and chosen.