Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.
He summoned those whom he wanted
1) He went up the mountain. The decision of choosing his ‘team’, those who would accompany him, was fundamental. There is an essential point to consider. Before making a decision in your life, talk to God, go up the mountain, like Jesus did, and take the time to talk to the Lord and tell him what is happening to you. I believe that this is what we all must do before deciding anything.
2) They were with Him. To be Jesus’ disciple implies precisely that: being with Him. In recent years we have confused Christ’s discipleship with welfare attitudes or even with social ideologies. Being a disciple means being chosen by God to be with him and then lead others to him. I remember a priest in the seminary who insisted that “this is the time to be with Jesus because later it will be time to preach him.” How much I appreciate that advice, because passion is a bad counselor and when I was in the seminary I more or less wanted to go on mission to Africa, but he reminded me, “It’s time to be with Jesus and only then take him to others”.
3) By name: The call is personal, not to the group. What’s more, each one of the chosen is different, because there is no prototype of choice. The way Jesus chooses the twelve shows us that the call is by the will of God and not a choice made through a casting or selection. God has called you by name and knows your weaknesses, that’s why we must trust in his greatness.
Don’t forget that something good is on the way! God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
