A friend of mine told me that their family had decided to adopt a puppy.   They had picked one out and were going to visit him to see if he would likewise choose them.  “If that puppy is smart,” I thought, “He would jump in their arms and lick their faces.  He would have everything he could possibly need.”  Later that day, as I was preparing a homily, I came across the passage from John 15:16. It read, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you…”   Yes, I thought again.  Do we understand how fortunate we are?  Christ chose us; not the other way around.  

A few weeks back a woman came to the rectory and asked if I would un-baptize her.  As she put it, she did not ask to be baptized.  It was not her choice. I assured her she could accept or reject the gift, but I could not un-baptize her because I was not the one to choose her to receive the gift.  That is where she missed the point.  Baptism isn’t something we can demand from God.  We are not entitled to it nor can we earn it.  God is the creator; we are the created.  God is the giver; we are the receiver.  To put the emphasis on our choice is to put us at the center.  I don’t like going to Mass.  I disagree with some of God’s teachings. Let’s negotiate this agreement.    In other words it becomes all about me.  

Yet, one of the beautiful things about the baptism of a baby is the reminder that Christ has chosen this child to be one of God’s own.  It wasn’t earned.  It wasn’t automatic.  It was God’s free choice. When we grasp that we begin to see our faith in a whole new way.   When Christ does the choosing, the choice is what God wants.  Where I am affected, the center is not my will but God’s.  My choices are made on what will please God.  True, we are free to accept or reject God’s offer and some may indeed reject it; but I can only wonder if we understand how lucky we are.   Perhaps it is like the puppy my friends wish to adopt.  If he accepts, they are going to do everything they can to make sure he is cared for and loved.  He will be one lucky dog.  Likewise, if we accept, Christ will do everything in his power to see that we are cared for and loved.  We will never have to worry if someone will choose us or love us.  Christ already has.  Christ, not ourselves, will be the center of our faith and doing as God asks will be our one desire.  It will be our way to love God.