GOD’S CHOICES AND FAVOURS

This fourth Sunday of Lent, we read about God’s choice and anointing of David as a king, through the prophet Samuel. Scripture has it that ‘…he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’. Eventually David was chosen and anointed in the midst of his brothers. (Cf 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a).

Beloved People of God, God’s choice and favours may often be on the most unlikely and unsuspecting person. Only God knows his criteria for his favourite to bestow his choicest blessings. The good news which is the most beautiful thing about this reality is that we are all God’s favourites. He has chosen us to be a light in the Lord. It may never be because we deserve these favours. We can only strive to appreciate the favours by consciously and conscientiously choosing to ‘walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness…’ (cf Eph 5:8-14). Not even the man born blind could be said to deserve to receive back his sight. Has he been seeking and searching for Jesus?  He neither knew the Son of Man, Jesus, nor believed in him. Yet, Jesus granted him this unsolicited and an unmerited favour and blessing of his life.

May such choices and favours lead us near to God, grant us the gift of faith and draw us nearer to salvation. As the blind man exclaimed having received back his sight from Jesus who calls himself, the Son of Man, ‘Lord, I believe’ and worshipped him, may we too worship the Light of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Fr. Ted