Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have proclaimed that we are
chosen, holy, and dearly loved. Help us
to dare to believe that it is really true.
And help us to live as if we believe that it is really true. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Scripture: Colossians 3:12-14
Journal: Do you believe that you are chosen by God? Do you believe that you are holy? Do you really believe that you are dearly
loved? What is your life like in
response to that?
Reflection:
To live a spiritual life, we have to claim for
ourselves that we are “taken” or “chosen.”
Let me try to expand a bit on these words. When I know that I am chosen, I know that I
have been seen as a special person.
Someone has noticed me in my uniqueness and has expressed a desire to
know me, to come closer to me, to love me.
When I write to you that, as the Beloved, we are God’s chosen ones, I
mean that we have been seen by God from all eternity and seen as unique,
special, precious beings. It is very
hard for me to express well the depth of the meaning of the word “chosen” has
for me, but I hope you are willing to listen to me from within. From all eternity, long before you were born
and became a part of history, you existed in God’s heart. Long before your parents admired you or your
friends acknowledged your gifts or your teachers, colleagues and employers
encouraged you, you were already “chosen.”
The eyes of love had seen you as precious, as of infinite beauty, as of
eternal value. When love chooses, it
chooses with a perfect sensitivity for the unique beauty of the chosen one. (Life
of the Beloved by Henri J. M. Nouwen)
Prayers
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to live today as if I believed
I was your beloved, and help me also to live today as if I believed that all of
those I come into contact with are dearly loved by you as well. Amen.
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