Tuesday of 23rd Week, even numbered year
“When day came, he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them ; he called them ’apostles’ : Simon, whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alpheus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.”
Before Jesus chose the twelve disciples, he spent the night in solitary prayer before God his Father. Jesus’ prayer was full of confidence in the Father, he was totally surrendered to his will. He had prayed for along time, and was sustained by the Holy Spirit’s action. Jesus continues his Mission of obedience to the Father in view of accomplishing his work of salvation in humanity.
Jesus’ life is a continuous prayer and He invites us to allow ourselves to be renewed, to be born to a new creation.
We are in a whole new perspective where Jesus renews all things, building up his Kingdom with a wisdom and intelligence which we need to ask for all the time.
The Kingdom of God is present, the Presence of od’s Infinite Love. The demons who come out begin to cry out! However, already Judas who will betray this love is already announced! The people of Israel was edified with twelve tribes, in link with his Father chose twelve apostles.
“Jesus then came down from the mountain with the twelve Apostles and stopped at a level piece of ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples, with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.”
Jesus, in prayer at the moment of choosing the twelve, reminds us of the importance of ’the college of apostles’, which takes up the twelve tribes of Israel. They become this great Israel renewed in the person of the apostles who rare capable of receiving this mission.They were chosen by Christ Jesus, they emerge from Jesus’ prayer.
Here we are before a huge crowd of Jesus’ his disciples, and the great multitude of people. The choice of the Twelve is significate of Jesus’ will to choose, from his people some men who are going to be the very ones who will receive the mission of announcing the Good News.
Jesus chooses them to be with Him, as He himself dwells in the Father they are to dwell in Him.
The same communion of Love between Jesus and the Father ought to exist between his apostles and Himself. In this choice of the Twelve, it has been shown to us that each one of us is particularly chosen by God. He is chosen for what he is and for what he is going to have to be, in prayer and in the mission of Christ-Jesus.
“People tormented by unclean spirits were also cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.”
The twelve Apostles of the Lamb will follow the twelve tribes of Israel. This is at the heart of the announcement of the Good News that the crowd is affected by Jesus’ message.
Jesus always chooses a person whom he heals he lets his force of life transpire for all people so that we may be united to each other.
The apostle John manifests this Love in a surprising manner when he rests on the Heart of Jesus. This Love place us in the Heart of God!
What Love Jesus wishes for each of his disciples and for the whole people. The sick and the paralysed are cured, life is given back. This is the sign of a Love which will from now on spread outwards in the world.
The Holy Spirit is at work in God’s people, in his ministers, in his Apostles provided they have faith.
God, who is so much Love, has given such a power to men. In the measure of faith he transforms the universe, he does such beautiful things in peoples’ hearts.
Christ Jesus will use us to be the reflection of his own person, capable of reflecting his own face and his own gaze throughout life.