Reflection for Tuesday September 6, Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 6:12-19

Gospel: Luke 6:12-19

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

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Reflection:

Why did Jesus called the twelve to be His apostles?

There was a reason why Jesus called the twelve disciples to be His apostles and that is to help Him spread the good news of our salvation. Looking back on the lives of these apostles except for Judas all were faithful servants of the Lord. They were His eyes and ears they were His collaborators in His mission.

The apostles did not lead lives of ease and comfort in fact except for Judas almost all of them were martyred in doing the mission that Jesus bestowed upon them. What is the significance of this call on the apostles in our lives?

By virtue of our Baptism we too are called to collaborate with Jesus and the apostles to spread the good news of our salvation. We are called to lead Holy lives so that others may see Jesus in us; we are called to be patient, to persevere and to be enduring in our discipleship.

If we say that we love Jesus it amounts to saying that we are always ready to suffer and to be humiliated for the sake of the advancement of His kingdom. This is the mark of a true and faithful disciple/apostle.

Are you ready to suffer for Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas