Rite of Election 2025

Bishop Scott Bullock
Homily from the Rite of Election
March 9, 2025

My family is not from South Dakota nor is it from Iowa where I was a priest for 33 years. Instead, we were born in Michigan, my whole family, but in the summer of 1974 my dad’s job caused us to have to move from Michigan to Cecil County, Maryland. It’s the very top of the Chesapeake Bay for those of you who might know Maryland. Within a month, my siblings and I were enrolled at Cherry Hill Middle School. Me as a 6th grader. 

Near the end of the first year the principal announced over the intercom that she would hold elections for student council. Since my class would be 7th graders for the next year, the middle grade of six, seven, and eight, the homerooms and our grade were to nominate candidates for student council vice president. To my surprise, the new kid in town was nominated by his class. I don’t remember much of the heated campaign, but I do recall the elections happening one Friday afternoon. At the end of the day the intercom crackled to life, as it usually did, and the principal announced that I had been elected Vice President of the Student Council. Indeed, the high watermark of my political life. 

I recall thinking about the election, when I heard about it, “I haven’t done much for this. I’ve done very little.” Instead, it was probably my older brother Bob, who was very quickly popular in the school, who had done all the campaigning for me and the votes were probably for him. In any case there I was.

I mentioned this ancient story because we gather today for the Rite of Election, but this kind of election is different than that one in middle school. When we think about elections we might think about nominations and campaigning and casting ballots, but in this case, I think my reaction to that middle school election is telling about this election. You’ve done very little. Why would I say such a thing? Particularly since you’ve been preparing in your parishes for some time under the capable guidance and effort of your pastors, some of whom are here, as well as teams of good folks who have worked hard to prepare you for this day. 

I say that because let’s begin with the etymology of the word election from two Latin words ex and legere, meaning picked or chosen out, selected out. So critical for our understanding is this question: who does the electing? Who has chosen whom out of where? I’m certain that each of you, I know, has an extraordinary story about what brought you here today. I’ve certainly got my own. In the end though there has been something prompting at your hearts, hasn’t there? The deepest place of you that has drawn you to this place. More accurately our faith says it has been someone speaking at your heart. Someone, the one who created you, who is now calling at your hearts and you have responded. 

God could have remained silent, of course, but instead he is the someone who desires to draw you to his heart. To select you out and gather you to himself. Above all then, God is the elector. He has elected you for life. He’s elected you for eternal life — a life that only he can give. That feeling deep in your hearts that you want God is really God wanting you and drawing you to himself. So, the little you have done is to respond to his electing will. He has chosen you to be with him for eternity. 

Well back in 6th grade I was elected Student Council Vice President and the long vision that’s pretty small potatoes, isn’t it? God has elected you. This is the big stuff. For himself, he has selected you out from what to what. 

For this we look at today’s scriptures. First, from the first reading, we heard from the book of Deuteronomy of the salvation won not because the people of Israel earned it but instead God wanted it. The scriptures say, “when the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,” of course the people of Israel speaking to now, “imposing hard labor upon us we cried to the Lord the God of our fathers. He heard our cry, saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm with terrifying power with signs and wonders and bringing us into this country he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.” 

God with his strong and outstretched hand has done the work of salvation, and he continues to do that work of salvation for us, his beloved people.

And as the reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans reminds us, all we have to do once God has called is to call back. Paul ends the reading that we heard today, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

So, in the end your election, my election, is about salvation. God wants you for that. The great authoritative teacher of our faith, which we Catholics call doctors, Saint Gregory of Narek, probably one of our most recently declared doctors, spoke of this truth in his famous book of Lamentations. In the twelfth prayer where he prayed, “For blessing and acknowledging God the giver of life from nothing at all, indeed calling upon the familiar sounding yet astounding name, and of him who grants all grace, are the means to life or mortal like me.”

And as the prophet foretold, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will live.” 

So, brothers and sisters, God has elected us. He’s elected you for salvation. Selected you out of darkness and delight out of sin into grace. Out of your failures into his salvation. What a merciful God we have. He has done everything for us we can see with Jesus on the cross. In comparison, we’ve done very little except respond to his voice but however small that might be it’s just enough. It’s just enough and all God requires for salvation for the fullness of life that the Lord desires for each of us.