The Holy Gospel according to Mark (3:13-19).
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons:He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes up the mountain and calls to himself those whom he wanted. In the Scriptures, mountain top experiences occur at significant times. Mountain tops are a place to encounter God. In today’s Gospel, we hear about Jesus going up the mountain to call those he wanted, his 12 Apostles. Apostle means “one sent out.” Jesus chose as the Word Incarnate, the 2nd Person of the Blessed Trinity, and not on human initiative. As it says in (John 15:16) “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit…” Jesus chose men from different backgrounds with different personalities. Jesus did not chose learned or scholarly men. The apostles were twelve ordinary men to take on extraordinary tasks. Some were fishermen, and another was a tax collector. One would deny him three times, one would betray him. All of them, except one, would desert him when he needed them the most. Despite their faulty humanity, all of them had one thing in common: they were Jesus Christ’s apostles with a mission to preach, teach, to serve people and testify of Jesus. Another thing that Jesus did, he called each of them by their name.
By virtue of our baptism, confirmation and nourished by the Eucharist, Jesus also calls each one of us by our name. Jesus has chosen us, ordinary, sinful and broken people to take on extraordinary things. We are called by name to be in relationship with Jesus and to carry on the mission of building up the kingdom of heaven here and now. Will we be able to live up to this call? Will we allow God’s grace to flow through us to enable us to do good things, to carry on Jesus’ mission?
Today is also the memorial of St. Vincent, deacon and martyr, from Zaragosa, Spain. Deacons were responsible for preaching and for the local church’s works of charity and mercy. Vincent excelled in his duties and angered the Roman authorities. He was arrested, tortured, and killed because he refused to worship pagan gods or to give over the sacred books of the Church. St. Vincent is the protomartyr of Spain.
Action for the Day: Jesus has chosen and called each one of us by our name. Jesus did not choose us because of who we are, ordinary people. He chose us for what we could become being in relationship with him and under his direction. Jesus does not wait for us to be perfect before he calls us. God forms us along the way. Take some time today to pray for the grace to serve the Lord with generous commitment to do extraordinary things.
Audio Reflection:
