Called, Chosen and Commissioned

Apr 24, 2014

By Sheila Rose Darmaraj
God’s favourite words are “come” and “go.”.At the height of the disciples’ ministry, Jesus calls his disciples to “come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while”, Mk 6:31.

122 parishioners of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (NBVM) did so their day of reflection on discipleship with the theme Called, Chosen and Commissioned. The Parish Pastoral Council organised this Lenten session on March 30 with Mr.Martin Jalleh as the facilitator.

He explained that God cannot fill us if we do not empty ourselves .We need to be still to know God. God also invites us to “come and see”. “Is the Catholic faith yours or is it just inherited?” asked Martin. He said that “ it is not good enough to know who Jesus is for your teachers or your parents but who Jesus is for you.” He added that Jesus invites us to follow Him because Jesus not only knows the way but He is the way.

“Come unto me” in Mt 11:28, is the call to those who are weary and “come down” in Lk 19: 5 for those who have allowed pride to take control of their lives. Pope Francis ‘came down’ and made his confession to an ordinary priest. God wants us to be humble like Him. God wants us to depend on him and not on ourselves. He then asked the participants to reflect on which call was relevant to each one of them. Martin cautioned that it is not good to serve in the same ministry for too long because we get carried away and pride sets in.

Every calling has a challenge and everyone goes through a crisis. In your calling you have the storm, the darkness but also the assurance of God. Even Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Mary and Mother Theresa had their moments of doubt, hesitation and fear but they embraced the assurance of God and renewed their call each time. Whether we have been called to family life or the priesthood or being single, we all go through our moments of darkness. We are asked to let go of ourselves and renew our call because it is not we who choose but God who chooses us.

Martin vividly described the God who calls us. Our perception of God is important because that is the God we give to others. He explained that our God is love. Jesus died for us while we were sinners and in this love, God loved us first. The divine initiative where God comes in search of us is clearly depicted in the three parables of the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. It is the father who reaches to the son; the shepherd goes in search of the sheep and the widow who searches for the coin. Every day we die to sin and rise to new life. There is no triumph without the cross. Lent is that time of spring cleaning to let go of our old selves and renew our call. Our God searches and waits for us.