A little boy asked his father, “Daddy, am I your favorite child?” And his father said to him, “Yes, you are.” And then he looked at his sister and said, ”Yes, you are.” And then he looked at the other one and said, “Yes, you are.” All of his favorite children. But we hear in the first reading that God favored the people of Israel. He chose a certain group and said you are my most prized, beloved, and precious possession. It’s strange because it seems we have a God who plays favorites. And by that, I mean that we live in a world where it’s all about inclusion.
We include everyone and every person, and that is the desire. But God also excludes people. And by that, I mean if you think of the twelve, he chose twelve tribes and set them apart. But he did it for the salvation of the world. So, he excluded a certain group of people to include the salvation of the world for everyone. How do we wrap our minds around this? We hear in the gospel, too, that he chose twelve disciples and twelve apostles, and He gave them power and authority to forgive sins, drive out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead. And he only chose twelve. Kind of perplexing, isn’t it?
And we also have an exclusive communion. This is a strange one that I try to wrap my head around. Especially when people come from other faiths or when you celebrate a wedding or a funeral; a lot of times, people are unable to come forward to receive communion. So, in a sense, it’s exclusive. But it’s for the salvation of the world. So, for those of us that receive the Eucharist, we go out into the world and bring Jesus to the world. Now, though, God is exclusive; he wants to include everyone. I also say to people at weddings and funerals, you know, if you’re unable to receive, we want you to be able to receive. But there’s a process for it, and it’s an initiation rite.
So, when we receive the Eucharist, we come to the end of our initiation and receive Jesus. All are welcome. Not everybody chooses that. We hope and pray that they do. For some reason, God has given priests the authority to forgive sins. So out of everybody else here in this church. I’m the only one that can forgive sins through Jesus. But He does it for the salvation of all so that all of us have this access to His forgiveness of sins.
Angelo and Mickey. You could have chosen anybody else out of the whole world. But you have an exclusive love. You love each other. Angelo, you chose Mickey for some reason. And Mickey, you chose Angelo for some reason. Good or bad, sickness and health, all the days of your life. 60 years you have been an exclusive married love. So, God excludes in a sense, but he does it to include because when we look at you, we see God’s love and faithfulness that the two of you who love each other through good times and bad sickness and health all the days of your life, shows us that God loves us. Through good times and bad. Sickness and health all the days of our lives.
I was with a man who came to confession, and he told me he wanted me to share this part of the story. I won’t share the whole confession with you, but this part. He said, “Father, I’ve been going to Mass for 30 years and cannot receive communion. I always sit in the back pew. You’ve probably seen me, and right when communion happens, I leave.” And I said, “Why do you leave?” He said, “I’m so embarrassed and ashamed that I haven’t been able to receive it.” So, after I heard his confession, we were done, and he smiled, looked at me, and said, “I cannot wait to receive communion this Sunday.” He was so excited to be back in the fold of God.
We all have the opportunity, you know, so if you have been away from the Church or are not Catholic, we invite you to join this process of initiation. If you’ve been away for a while, go to confession. Receive His love and mercy, and you can come to communion again. So just like that father in the beginning, who told each of his children how precious they are to him, you are so precious to God. You are His beloved. He’s so faithful to you and so pleased to have you here at mass. Not everyone goes to mass; not everyone received this call to receive Him in communion. But he does it for the salvation of the whole world. You’ve been chosen from baptism. You’ve been made holy, and to be holy is meant to be set apart. You’re set apart as priest, prophet, and king. Not for, just for the exclusion of that. But for the salvation of the world. So, know how precious you are to God. Know that you are His favorite. Know that you are His prized and special possession.
