“…Those [God] predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.” Is this proclamation of St. Paul true for each one of us?
 
            Predestination. Are there are some persons who God has determined will be saved and others who will not be saved? It is clear from the Gospels that God wills the salvation of all of God’s people. As Christians, we believe that in baptism we were predestined by God to be heirs to the glory of God’s only Son, Jesus. God called us to be brothers and sisters of Jesus, disciples of Christ. Through our faithfulness to the call that we have received, we are justified by God – we live in right relationship with God and in right relationship with all of our brothers and sisters in God. Living in right relationship with God and with all of our brothers and sisters in God, we live in the hope that death will yield to life eternal for us. We will share in the very glory of God. This is our Christian hope. This is the hope that defines us as Christians.
 
            The challenge for us as Christians is to live each day in a way that reflects the truth that God predestined us to be heirs of Jesus Christ and called us to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Others have to see in our lives a reflection of the life of Jesus Christ. When others see in our lives a reflection of the life of Jesus Christ, then we know that God is justifying us. God is giving us the grace that we need to live in right relationship with God and in right relationship with our brothers and sisters in God and we are cooperating with that grace. We are trying to be both faithful to our relationship with God and to be faithful in what God requires of us in our relationship to our brothers and sisters in God. Through prayer, regular confession, and regular reflection on the scriptures, we should grow in our fidelity to what God requires of us in our relationship with God and with other persons so that we have the sure and confident hope of one day enjoying the fullness of life forever in Christ; of enjoying a share in his eternal glory.
 
            Pray today to be faithful to what God has predestined for you!
 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J