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There is a lesson in grace happening before our very eyes, in a very unlikely place.  I’m talking about American Idol.  Now that we are watching and listening to the finalists, the contestants are supposed to be the best of the best.  Yet, in the last two weeks, audience votes have saved from elimination someone who is not the best.

Now, Sanjaya is a nice boy.  Many think he’s rather cute.  He is sweet and sentimental, crying when his sister did not make the cut during “Hollywood Week,” and shedding tears of sympathy for those cut in the weeks leading up to the Final Twelve.  But, as Simon would remind us, “This is a singing competition!”

Simply stated, Sanjaya is not the best singer on the show.  He has talent that was enough to pass up many earlier contestants, but he has reached his limit. There are eleven others, two of whom are already gone, who could attest to that fact.  And yet he remains.  Why?

Some suspect there is a conspiracy going on.  Whether star-struck girls are voting for their latest celebrity crush, people following the whims of mischievous D-J’s, or just a bizarre twist of popular opinions, Sanjaya has gotten enough votes to stay on the show in spite of his level of talent.

Yet, whatever the reason, this fluke of secular entertainment can remind us of God’s grace!  Grace is the undeserved mercy and steadfast love of God.  We deserve nothing but death and punishment for our corrupt, sinful thoughts, words and deeds.  We are, by our very nature, enemies of the Lord.  But He desires not the death of the sinner.  His Son is the Substitute in the punishment and death we deserve, He showers us in His grace.  In Christ, He desperately reaches out in boundless love and no-strings-attached mercy.

Sanjaya, good kid that he is, does not deserve to continue in the American Idol competition.  However, he still receives the benefits of the media attention and exposure.  He is undoubtedly enjoying the televised fame.  He has name recognition – millions across the nation know him just by his first name!  Opportunities will likely present themselves for his future in the coming weeks.

You, good person that you are (in the eyes of the world at least), do not even deserve to be in Christ’s Holy Church .  However, you still receive the benefits of the Lord’s attention through exposure to the gift of His Gospel.  You have name recognition – the Father in heaven knows you personally, through His Son, and places His Name upon you in Holy Baptism.  Opportunities abound for you to enjoy this baptismal life, centered in His Holy Supper           

Not a single human being deserves God’s grace and love.  Yet here we are: baptized children of God, living Eucharistic lives, receiving this grace through Christ’s holy and precious Gifts – Gifts given for you!