Chosen or Not been Chosen

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16a)

Israelites were chosen by God to redeem the fallen mankind. Among men, God chose Abraham and his children. The future target is for Christ to incarnate as a man to save the fallen mankind. God arranged the family of Abraham to settle in Egypt, one of the four ancient civilizations, to flourish. The next step was to merge the 12 tribes into a nation. God gave them Torah, the Law. Meanwhile, other peoples developed their different civilizations. By the time Jesus was born, the Greeks had left behind philosophy and science, the Hebrews a code of ethics for the Christians and Arabians of the future to bring to perfection.

Christians are chosen by Christ. They do not choose Christ but Christ chooses them. We are blessed to participate in this Redemption Project. For the last 2000 years, this Project has transformed the world to the present state. It has given rise to the hegemony of the Western civilization. Many of the chosen ones have contributed much to the advancement of the human civilization. It has never been a bed of roses. There have been lots of obstacles to overcome and have been overcome. New challenges keep coming up and to be sure, life has never been easy. Behind it all, love is the primary driving force. Love will continue to prevail. Love is the legacy of Christ.

When I look at myself, I will ask why Christ chose me and not my brother. What is in me that Christ should choose me? I am weak and unworthy. This morning when I got up from my bed, I experienced dizziness for the first time in my life. I managed to go to Church and sang. I got better in the afternoon. This sudden bout of dizziness reminds me of how weak I can be, at the same time without forgetting the healing power of God too. Yet, I am a chosen one because Christ loves me despite my unworthiness. He wants me to be fruitful. What else can I do but to keep His commandment to love my family members, my students and whoever needs my helping hand so that I may abide in His love?

This morning after Mass, I was interviewed by a young gentleman, an LS teacher in a religious school. He is doing his doctoral thesis on the history of religious education in Hong Kong! Wow, I was flattered and at the same time, he gave me a good opportunity to reflect on my spiritual formation as well as my teaching career which is approaching its logical end in a few years' time.
When I began studying in a Catholic Diocesan secondary school in the 1960's, the famous Baltimore Catechism Books 1 to 3 were our textbook. The Catechism was systematic and we learned a lot of prayers, theological terms and English language from it. In S4 and 5, we studied the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles for public exams. In those days, computer studies was unheard of. Instead, a lot of virtues, such as compassion, forgiveness, fortitude and generosity etc. were touched upon. In matriculate classes, moral issues were touched upon and a practical ethics textbook written by a Jesuit was used. In these formative years, God had arranged many good Catholics and dedicated priests to mould me.
After graduation, I taught RS in La Salle because I am a Catholic. After a couple of years, I attended the Catechumen course offered by the Diocesan Catechetical Commission. I believed and still believe that it takes a life to torch other lives. I did not have the intention to convert my students but enjoyed sharing life with them. It goes both ways and I am blessed to get paid to study the Bible.
I was married in 1982 and Erminia is sent by God to be my lifelong helper. She gave me 4 children and cheers me up in my depression. I have not loved her enough. When my health improved and the West Rail started running, I was able to attend the Diploma course in the Catholic Biblical Institute. It set me on my way of fulfilling my passion on the Bible and lay a good foundation for my present study of Theology in the Seminary.

Dear Lord, You have invested a lot of resources in moulding me. I pray that I can become Your handy instrument in the near future. Amen.
2009 Reflection