Reflection for Friday January 24 Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Mark 3:13-19

Gospel: 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.

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Reflection:

Do you wonder why Jesus did not call the powerful and educated to be His apostles? 

The core of His apostles were fishermen, and the others were ordinary people like us. Perhaps the message for all of us is this: We will hear the powerful voice of Jesus in our lives if we live simple lives. 

Oftentimes, we no longer hear the voice of Jesus calling us to follow Him because our lives have become too complicated. We are too busy with this world, allowing it to possess us as if we could take its riches to our graves. 

When we become overly preoccupied with worldly matters, we also distance ourselves from Jesus. As a result, we are no longer able to feel and hear His voice in our hearts. Thus, we become prone to sin. 

The best lifestyle for us to hear the voice of Jesus, who always knocks on our hearts, is a simple one. This doesn’t mean we should stop aspiring to improve our well-being. We will still have aspirations, but in the midst of them, we must remain humble and simple. 

Just like the apostles, who were humble and simple, we too must be humble and simple—so that we may hear the voice of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas