DAY ONE - Called by God “You did not choose me but I chose you”
Scripture Passages
Jn 15:16a
Gen 12:1-4 The call of Abraham
Jn 1:35-51 The call of the first disciples
Meditation
The start of the journey is an encounter between a human
being and God, between the created and the Creator, between time and eternity.
Abraham heard the call: “Go to the land I will show you”.
Like Abraham we are called to leave that which is familiar and go to the place
that God has prepared in the depths of our hearts. Along the way, we become
more and more ourselves, the people God has wanted us to be from the beginning.
And by following the call that is addressed to us, we become a blessing for our
loved ones, our neighbours, and the world.
The love of God seeks us. God became human in Jesus, in whom
we encounter the gaze of God. In our lives, as in the Gospel of John, God’s
call is heard in different ways. Touched by his love, we set out. In this
encounter, we walk a path of transformation - the bright beginning of a
relationship of love that is always started anew.
One day you understood that, without your being aware of it,
a yes had already been inscribed in your innermost depths. And so you chose to
go forward in the footsteps of Christ….
In silence in the presence of Christ, you heard him say,
“Come, follow me; I will give you a place to rest your heart.”
The Sources of Taizé (2000) p. 52
Prayer
Jesus Christ, you seek us, you wish to offer us your friendship and lead us to a life that is ever more complete. Grant us the confidence to answer your call so that we may be transformed and become witnesses of your tenderness for the world.
As I sat in stillness reflecting on this morning's prayer, I had to admit to myself that I let a lot of years go by when I hadn't really listened for God's calls, or at least I hadn't recognized some calls as coming from God. But I have always been aware of a first call from Jesus that came when I was 15 years old. A call that took different forms, but always the message was powerfully the same:
ReplyDelete"I love you, I love you, I love you. Believe that I love you. I have always loved you and I always will." I did believe, and I was filled with a deep desire to love Jesus in return. And that call was the beginning of a mutual love relationship.
I wasn't always faithful to the call. But I never let go of it. And it carried me through some turbulent times. And always our loving God was creating me, creating me, continuously creating me to become the person he knew I could be. To be his presence of love, of compassion, of healing, of forgiveness, of justice in this world.
Each new day Jesus calls. All we need to do is say "yes".