Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according 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.
Chosen to announce
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, take distance from everyday life, go up the mountain like Jesus did, and take the time to talk to the Lord and tell him what is happening to you. Look at yourself and discover yourself in order to find out in the depth of your soul what God proposes to you and what you are willing to do.
2. They came to Him. To be a Christian is to know that you have been chosen. Your Christianity shouldn’t be out of habit or tradition, but rather through Jesus’s choice, through his call. To be a Christian is to have an encounter and a relationship with Christ, which inspires and encourages you and leads you to enjoy living with Him. The same happens with the religious vocation; it implies looking at Him, constantly returning to Him and being with Him; that’s what leads you to serve others. If there is no closeness with Him, your service to others is merely a social act, without the gospel.
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. His call gives you identity. You are another Christ, but without ceasing to be you. That is the beauty of Christianity. You live the experience of Christ that empowers and fulfils you but does not absorb you. 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, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
