Gospel: Matthew 10:1-7
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
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Reflection:
How can we effectively evangelize? We must always stay connected with Jesus in both our words and deeds. We can never be effective evangelizers of Jesus’ teachings if we only preach them but do not live them. Our actions must echo the Gospel we share.
Except for Judas, who betrayed Jesus, the other eleven apostles were effective messengers of His teachings for a simple reason: they preached them, they lived them, and they even gave their lives for them out of love for the Lord.
They were simple people—some were fishermen, and like us, they were sinners too. In the eyes of men, they may not have been worthy to become Jesus’ apostles, but Jesus called them, and He qualified them. His grace transformed them into courageous witnesses of His love.
Jesus is neither a discriminating nor a condemning God. He is a God of love, mercy, and compassion. And because of His love, He calls each of us to turn our backs on our sinful ways and follow Him. He invites us to help Him advance the Good News of His love and compassion in a world that desperately needs Him.
You may say
that you are not worthy to be called, but who is worthy? None of us, for we are
all sinners. Yet what Jesus is asking for is your yes to His call. He will take
care of the rest, and through His grace, your life will become a living
testimony of His love. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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