Jn 13:16-20
Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Chosen By Christ
In today’s Gospel, right after Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as an act of humble service yet before he identifies Judas as his betrayer, he invites them—and, in turn, you and me—to remember who has chosen us, and to consider what it means to receive him as our savior.
For many of us, daily life quickly fills, and we can overlook the moments scattered throughout each day reminding us that we are chosen and that we are called to welcome Christ in our midst. What does it mean to receive Jesus today, alive in a difficult co-worker, in the woman asking for money on a downtown street, in the migrants seeking hope and justice at our country’s border, in an ever-negotiating preschooler? How are you being called to slow down, to intentionally center your life on being a chosen follower of Jesus, and to connect with the sacredness of each person you meet?
—Kristen Schenk is a former Jesuit Volunteer (Belize City 2008-10) and an alumna of Saint Louis University and Loyola University Chicago who now works in healthcare chaplaincy.
Prayer
Spirit of God
We worship you, Holy Spirit of God,
and we may only guess, as best we can,
who you are for us.
We call you by human names and words
so that we need not be entirely silent.
We open up our hearts to receive you
that we may learn how deeply
and invisibly you are present everywhere.
You are the air we breathe,
the distance we gaze into,
the space that surrounds us.
We pray to you, Spirit of God, creator,
complete the work you have begun,
prevent the evil we are capable of doing
and inspire us towards what is good.
—Huub Oosterhuis