Word to the Wise
Friday, January 24, 2025 - Friday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 8:6-13 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 names Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to reach and to have authority to drive out demons. [Mark]
JANUARY 24 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES [bishop and doctor of the church]
In the Bible, big things happen on mountains! The Sermon on the mount in the Gospel According to Matthew and the choice of the TWELVE apostles are examples. Jesus begins with the apostles on a mountain and at the end he will commission them on a mountain [Matt. 28:16-20] The connection with Moses on Mt. Sinai and God's choice of the TWELVE tribes of Israel is deliberate. The earliest idea of the church involves a "new Israel" and the apostles are sent to proclaim this new kingdom. Of the twelve, Peter, James and John seem to have been closer in relationship to Jesus, perhaps because they were among his first followers.
Every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation we recite the Nicene Creed at the celebration of the Eucharist. In that creed, we profess our faith in an "apostolic church." Although the number TWELVE is important for the reason I mentioned, the word "apostolic" is a bit broader because Paul and Barnabas are also celebrated as "apostles" in the liturgical calendar. The very word, "apostle," comes from a Greek term that means someone who is sent on a mission. The existence of the papacy and the hierarchy in our church are tied with Jesus' commissioning and are meant to guarantee the preaching and unity of the faith. But the apostolic mission to preach the gospel in everyday life is the task of every baptized person - every disciple. The task is immense because the Pope and bishops constitute a few thousand in a church of millions on a planet of more than a billion human beings. Each of us has to do what he or she can do. AMEN