“I have called you by your name, given you a title, though you knew me not. I am the Lord and there is no other, there is no God besides me... We give thanks to God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love, and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ... Knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen.”
Piecing together these words of Isaiah and Paul, may we reflect upon them. Perhaps we can create an image, as we picture someone – a family member or friend, a religious sister, brother or priest, a fellow parishioner – to whom we wish to direct these words, for they seem to describe them well.
We move now to ourselves, and wonder, how well do they apply to me? I know I have been chosen and called. My baptism tells me this. The follow up is so important as we live our faith and produce our labor of love.
Think of Paul’s word that you are ‘loved by God’ and the response He wishes and expects from us.