The Commissioning of the Twelve

Today's Reflections

 

                               

 

     

The Commissioning of the Twelve 

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Mt 10:1-7

¹[Jesus] summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. ²The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; ⁴Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

⁵Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. ⁶Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ”

Reflection:

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples. The Gospel speaks of the choice of the Twelve by Jesus. This is a momentous event in the history of salvation and the formation of God’s people of the New Covenant. The Twelve are to be the representatives of the New Israel. Each is personally chosen, called by name, to be part of a community of apostles called the Twelve in the New Testament.

We all know eleven of the original Twelve to be saints, but one of them, Judas Iscariot, is described as the one “who betrayed him.” He is a reminder that each of us, though also chosen by Christ to be his disciples-apostles, can also betray him.

May we remain faithful to Jesus

who has called us.