His Favorite

Years ago, Erma Bombeck wrote a column explaining to her three children why each one of them was her favorite.

She told her oldest child that “I’ve always love you best” because “you were the first miracle . . .  the fulfillment of young love, the promise of our infinity.

“You were the beginning.”

The second child was told that “I’ve always loved you the best because you drew a dumb spot in the family and it made you stronger. You cried less, had more patience, wore faded, and never in your life did anything ‘first,’ but it only made you more special.

“You were the continuance.”

Here’s what she wrote to her third child, her baby: “I’ve always loved you the best because endings generally are sad, and you are such a joy. You readily accepted the mild-stained bibs. The lower bunk. The cracked baseball bat. The baby book, barren but for a recipe for graham cracker pie crust that someone jammed between the pages.

“You were the culmination.”

To state it very simply, each child was Erma’s favorite.

I remember reading her column before I had children of my own, and how much it resonated with me.

After I gave birth twice, I realized that her words were very true. Each of my children is my absolute favorite! Hands down. It’s a mystery, really, but true.

I hope my children know it. I hope they know how much I love them.

And here is my question.

If our children can feel our immense parental love for them, does that help them feel God’s divine parental love for them?

St. John the Apostle felt it. He is believed to have been the youngest of the 12 chosen by Jesus, and to have died in old age.

He was the one who stayed with Jesus at Calvary, and he was the one who was asked by Jesus to look after the Blessed Mother. He is the author of the Gospel of John, and he referred to himself as the one Jesus loved, the Beloved Disciple.

St. John understood that he was precious in God’s eyes, and that he was deeply loved. He understood that he was — as Erma Bombeck put it — loved the best.

The good news is that we are each loved the best by God our Father.

Our challenge is to recognize how much we are divinely loved. And then to realize that each of us is His favorite!