Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What is the greatest thing that makes you most grateful?

When I was in seminary, I was asked to write down ten things I am proud of, and I started writing down one sheet of paper like…being a catholic,

In the end, we showed each other what we had. But there was one guy who wrote only one thing. I am a child of God. Then we asked him why he wrote only one. Do you have another thing to be proud of? He said, “The only thing I can be proud of is I am a son of God, and everything else will flow from this. I do not want to tell you what I wrote because he makes me ashamed of what he wrote. That was shocking because I never thought I was a child of God. I identified myself as a follower of Jesus, and if we do well, we will be in heaven with him. From then on, I began to understand that We are not simply followers or believers of Christ, but above all, we are sons and daughters of God.

Paul taught that we are sons and daughters of God because God has poured the Spirit of his Son into us, enabling us to address God as “Abba, Father!” (Gal 4:6).

The second reading today tells us that God, the father of our Lord Jesus, “chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love, he destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ.” What is significant here is that we did not choose, but God chose us to be his children from all eternity.

Our identity is sons and daughters of God. Most of us have one thing or two things that we identify ourselves. Some of us identify ourselves by our weaknesses. Some of us identify ourselves by our weaknesses. For example, my parents are divorced, that's why I'm a child of divorce. Someone used me. That's why I defined myself. I see myself as the one who's been used. I was in jail for years, so now I am a bad guy forever. I committed a grave sin, so I am a bad Catholic. I am a suffering man; that is who I am; that's how God sees me. That thing defines me. Some of you say that's who I am; that's my identity, and we define ourselves by our weaknesses. When I was young, I experienced the insecurities and self-image problems common to young people. I was keenly aware of my shortcomings, worried about what people thought of me, and I started to identify myself as a weak man.

Some of you might say no, I don't define myself by my weaknesses. My weaknesses are fine, but you define yourself by your strengths. You define yourself by what you have. Come on, I am a good-looking man, I am a smart kid, I am a doctor, I am so talented; that's who I am. I have these strengths, and that's who I am and what defines me.

What would Jesus say to us? Sons and daughters, let me define you. You are my daughters and sons; I am well pleased like the words of Jesus at his baptism, “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Let God define us. God chose you and me before the foundation of the world, not because of what we have or do not have. But we are his sons and daughters. That is our identity. That is our true selves.

As sons and daughters, we are given authority and sent out to minister to other sons and daughters who do not recognize that they are also beloved children of the same Father. But before being sent out there, we must identify as beloved children. And let go of how we define ourselves. Jesus is asking us if you are willing to let me define you. Are you willing to let go of the strengths and weaknesses that may define you? And are you willing to be my beloved child because I chose you to be coheirs with Christ, my son, and your brother? Are you willing to let me love you as you are because I loved you before you were formed in your mother's womb?

Brothers and sisters, I firmly believe that our heavenly Father loves us; his pleasure and glory rest on us. He is for us because we are his children.

“You are my beloved sons and daughters; with you,I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).