Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Mk 3:13 – 19
The Call of Jesus

Today’s Gospel passage from St. Mark tells us that Jesus chose twelve apostles from among those who were following Him.

If we pay attention to the brothers and sisters around us, who, like us, have been baptized into Christ through receiving the same sacrament of baptism, that is, having crucified the old mortal self with Christ, so that the sinful self may fade away and they may no longer be slaves to sin (cf. Rom 6:6 – 7), we will find that, just like the apostles chosen by Jesus (cf. Lk 6:14 – 16), they are diverse in terms of personality, life experiences, and educational backgrounds. Yet, through receiving the same gift of the Holy Spirit and following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they have become children of God (cf. Rom 8:14). And by sharing in the same cup of blessing, they are united in the blood of Christ, and by partaking of the same broken bread, they are incorporated into the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 10:16 – 17), gradually forming an integral part of the Church, which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself established upon St. Peter.

The merciful Lord Jesus did not choose those with superior knowledge, nor did He call social elites. Instead, He called fishermen, those who supported themselves with their own hands, such as Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, Zebedee’s sons James and his brother John; and He also called those who had received a certain level of education, like the tax collector Matthew. Each of them had different life backgrounds, interpersonal relationships, and personalities. The Lord Jesus did not change them but invited them to proclaim the Gospel to all creatures in their lives, so that through their proclamation, all people might be freed from sin and death.

Similarly, our Lord Jesus Christ calls each of us to be His disciples at different times and stages of our lives according to His holy will. Let us draw strength from the twelve apostles who have followed Jesus since the beginning of His public ministry and have now been specially chosen by Him. Let us imitate their virtues and follow Christ closely, fulfilling the mission He has entrusted to us in a worthy manner. Amen.

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