I like this gospel reading for today, especially the words of Jesus who reminds us: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” Interesting, isn’t it? Because most of us would say the opposite -- I chose Jesus as my Lord, I decided to follow Jesus, I answered His call, and so on. But Jesus tells us clearly today: it is not you that chose me, but I chose you. How is that possible? It’s simply because Jesus knew us even before we were created and before we were born. The Prophet Jeremiah reminded us that God said: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you.” We may think that we chose our religion, chose to follow Jesus, and that we chose our God, but the truth is -- He chose us, He chose us a long time ago. Not only did He choose you and me, but He also loved you unconditionally, even before you were born.
