8 October, Tuesday — God has chosen me

Tuesday of Week 27 in Ordinary Time

Gal 1:13-24
Lk 10:38-42

Then God who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans.

Brothers and sisters,

Ordinarily, when people experience hardships, they ask “Why me?” But have you ever received an unexpected blessing and asked that same question? Have you ever wondered why you have experienced divine intervention when you least expect it? And beyond just wondering “Why me?” have you felt undeserving of such graces? Have you then thought of what you are to do with the graces you have received? If you have felt or thought this way, you are not alone. In fact, the apostle Paul experienced such thoughts and feelings.

In today’s first reading, Paul acknowledges that God’s choice of him as an apostle was hard to understand. He saw himself as sinful and undeserving. He was merciless in persecuting the church and caused extensive damage. And yet, it is precisely Paul’s past which made God choose him. His unique background and circumstances put him on the road to Damascus. He was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, with a mandate issued by the High Priest to seek out and arrest followers of Jesus, with the intention of returning them to Jerusalem as prisoners for questioning and possible execution. Paul’s (then known as Saul) Damascus Road experience then leads to his direct, real, and special encounter with Christ. In a voice only understood by Saul on the road, Christ asks Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” And so, starts Paul’s ‘Christification moment’. A moment in which he recognises that he is chosen by God for a specific mission.

Paul’s story highlights the dramatic nature of God’s grace of choosing us. It causes him to completely rethink his beliefs — to shift from a life focused on zealotry and blindly following the Jewish traditions — to a new life where love for Christ drives his work to share the Gospel with the community. He does not bargain nor negotiate with God on what he needs to do. Instead, he responds by becoming an instrument in God’s hands. Paul’s story shows how God choosing us is never solely for our personal benefit. Being chosen by God is a transformative calling; it urges us to make it our mission to share God with others. In fact, the urgency in Paul’s work shows that being chosen by God is intricately tied to the need for sharing our stories with the wider community – sharing with others the depth of God’s love in choosing us, whoever we are, and meeting us at whichever point we are in life, to do His will.

I end off this reflection with one of my own ‘Christification moments’. I was in a courtroom some years ago as part of my usual duties as a prosecutor. Across the table, there was a defence counsel for a matter unrelated to my case. She approached me at the end of the Court session, having recognised that I used to cantor in a church she attended at. Through our conversation, I found out that she was the president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Singapore. She then asked if I could form a choir for the Red Mass, held at the opening of each legal year, to pray specially for the legal fraternity. Despite being in the legal profession for a few years by then, I had never personally attended the Red Mass. Although I did not know many people who would be willing to be part of this choir, I told her I would get down to it, and we would have a choir in time for the Red Mass. By God’s grace, I contacted the few people I knew who would be interested. They in turn reached out to their friends. Over the years, our choir, The Servant Singers, has grown not just in strength but in friendship and in faith. I am transformed each time I prepare for the Red Mass. Beyond that, each member brings their unique selves and talents to provide music which transforms the Red Mass into a prayerful experience for the wider community who attend. We soon begin preparation for our 6th year of serving as a choir at the 2025 Red Mass.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stacey Fernandez)

Prayer: Jesus, I pray that I can more boldly share your word with the wider community as part of you calling me to spread the good news of your love and salvation.

Thanksgiving: Jesus, thank you for choosing me to be an instrument to do your will.