Word to the Wise
Friday, January 19, 2024 - Friday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 24:3-21 and 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..... [Mark]
The choices made by Jesus of those who would not only accompany him but also go out themselves to preach and drive out demons are an indication of the kind of people who were drawn to him. Although we are told in the Gospel According to Luke that Jesus spent the night in prayer on the mountain before designating the Twelve, the choices could be a bit mystifying, especially Judas Iscariot. But they include fishermen (Peter, James, John), a political activist (Simon the Zealot), a chronic skeptic (Thomas), a tax collector (Matthew/Levi), etc. Scripture scholars believe the number twelve simply reflected an echo of the twelve tribes of Israel which would be reflected in the "new Israel," the church. Nevertheless, when Judas was gone, another apostle was chosen by lot: Matthias. And St. Paul would lay claim to the title later on. The word, "apostle," comes from the Greek word, apestelein, meaning someone who is sent on a mission.
Every Sunday and solemn feast day, the Body of Christ professes its faith in an "apostolic Church." The initial preachers of the resurrection of Jesus after the Pentecost event were the apostles. Tradition has them going all over the known world at the time. Thomas is said to have gone to India. Andrew is said to have been to Greece and Scotland, etc.
What can come through all of this is that God chooses ordinary human beings to do extraordinary things. The apostles and those who would accompany them (as Barnabus did with St. Paul) would be the ones who made the spread of Christianity possible. They were not perfect, as Peter showed in denying Jesus after Jesus was arrested. And neither would their successors be perfect - then and now. Most of us will not be doing a lot of exorcisms, if any, but we all preach in one way or another. If we remain faithful to the message, God will do extraordinary things with us ordinary folks. AMEN
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