Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time—Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

Last week, we read from the beginning of Saint Paul’s three-chapter grappling with how the Jewish people could reject Jesus as the promised Messiah. Recall that in this section of Romans, he keeps searching the scriptures to better understand the mind of God on this question. This week, our second reading comes from the end of this section.

Just before launching into this discussion of the Jewish people’s widespread rejection of Jesus, Saint Paul reminded us that “in all things God works for good” (Romans 8:28). Now he presents this issue as a concrete example of God working all things for good. When God’s chosen people rejected his ultimate plan, it brought reconciliation to the whole world. Now there is some good from bad! He raises the powerful question: If the Jewish rejection of Jesus brought about so much good, how much more good will come from their acceptance of Jesus?

This is not just an interesting question of biblical history or of eschatology or even of evangelization. It’s an interesting personal question for each of us. If God continues to work good from our sin and disfunction, how much more good will come our obedience and spiritual growth? As the saying goes, God writes straight with crocked lines. He does not want us to be sinful and disobedient anymore than he wanted the Jewish people to reject Jesus as the promised Messiah. But he chooses to respect our freedom and still work for good despite us often working against him. We often get hung up on our own sins and shortcomings, but The Holy Spirit is pointing out to us that he wants to “have mercy upon all” (Romans 11:32). All we have to do is repent, to turn around, to start over, which still is God’s plan for the Jewish people.

The Spirit says, “The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). God’s Chosen People can never cease to be his Chosen People, even if they reject the promised Messiah. Your gifts and your calling from God are equally irrevocable. Just as God formed Israel for a specific purpose, he also made you the way you are, with your unique set of talents, for a purpose that only you can fulfill. And God will never take away that purpose or give it to someone else. Even if you have rejected God’s mission for your life, even if you have fumbled its fulfillment (like we all do), even if it never occurred to you that God has a personal mission for you, the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable! God works all things for good, and Saint Paul contends that God will work even more good when we embrace our gifts and our calling.

So what is God’s purpose for your life? Why did he think the world would be a better place with you in it? Why did he give you the gifts and tal

about what God has been calling you do to do from the time you were in your mother’s womb? The Holy Spirit is inviting each of us to pray over these questions and to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, even if we are starting late.