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Reflecting on how God chose King David, the youngest and least worthy of his brothers, Pope Francis invited us to remember that we are Christians only because of the grace of God. “When God chooses, he shows forth his liberty and how he gives freely,” the pope said in his homily at Casa Santa Marta.
Francis invited those present to ask themselves, “Why did God choose us? ‘Well, because we’re from a Christian family or a Christian culture….’ But no. Many who are from a Christian family and culture reject the Lord, and don’t love him. But why are we here, chosen by the Lord?”
The Holy Father answered that all of us are chosen by God because of his gratuitous goodness, not because of any merit.
“The Lord has chosen us freely. We have not paid anything to become Christians. We priests and bishops have not paid anything to be priests and bishops,” he said.
“To be a Christian, to be baptized, to be ordained a priest and a bishop is pure gratuitousness. The gifts of the Lord aren’t bought.”
The pope went on to say that taking care of this unmerited gift is the path to sanctity.
We should take care of this gift, so that it is not lost. All of us were anointed by the Lord’s choosing; we should take care of this anointing that has made us Christians [in baptism], that has made us priests, that has made us bishops [through Holy Orders]. This is sanctity.
Finally, the pope mentioned that the greatest of all God’s gifts is God himself, the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord chose us, he gave us the Holy Spirit. And this is pure grace. This is pure grace. Without our merit.
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To get the Holy Spirit’s power, pray this with St. Augustine
And today we celebrate...