Daily Reflection Friday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel passage is Mark’s account of the calling of the twelve Apostles. All three Synoptic gospel accounts speak of this but only Luke prefaces it by saying that Jesus spent the entire previous night on a mountain in prayer. Perhaps that is echoed in Mark saying here today that he went up the mountain. Because of Luke, we know that Jesus did not make his choices without much prayer. We also recall John’s gospel that tells us that Jesus never needed anyone to tell him anything about anybody because he knew their hearts (John 2:25). So also with those he chose as his Apostles. There is also the mystery of the choice of Judas Iscariot. That remains a great mystery for we do not know if Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, nor do we know anything about how or why he chose him. Jesus said in John 17:12 that Judas was “destined” to be lost. But we really do not understand what that means, exactly. Would Jesus have been crucified if Judas had not betrayed him? These are all unanswerable questions.
 
What we do know is that these twelve were at best a seemingly motely crew. They were forever misunderstanding Jesus and his teachings. They were often afraid of him. They were seemingly always being petty and selfish, often arguing about who was on top and who was not. They were jealous of each other. Jesus was always asking them where their faith was or calling them, “You of little faith.” They all abandoned him after his arrest, Peter denied him three times and of course, Judas betrayed him into the hands of the vengeful Pharisees and chief priests. They all hid in fear after his crucifixion. It should make us wonder that never once did Jesus exclaim how great the faith was of any of his Apostles (again, just the opposite) whereas he said exactly that about quite a few women in the gospels as well as a Roman soldier.
 
It is also true that other than Peter, we know virtually nothing about any of the others. Most never utter a word in any gospel account. If there weren’t these passages about the calling of the Apostles and the listing of them by name, we wouldn’t even know all their names. Yet the Church has always proclaimed that it was founded on these Apostles. Tradition holds that they all (other than Judas) died as martyrs. They are, rightly, deeply revered and honored by the Church and indeed by all Christians.
 
That is because although it may have taken some time, they were all, finally, fully filled with the Holy Spirit and all ended surrendering their entire lives to preaching and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were all completely transformed. It is as Jeremiah (31:33) prophesied in the passage from Hebrews today, “After those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon their hearts… for all shall know me, from least to greatest.” We are now all given the same calling as the Apostles because it does not matter what we were before, it does not matter how we may have failed in the past or even if we have caused great wreckage to ourselves or others. All that matters is that we now hear God calling and repent and, to quote John the Baptist, show the fruits of our repentance (Lk 3:8).
 
We do not know why we have been chosen and it does not matter. We have been given the grace to become disciples not because we ever did or ever could do anything to deserve it. It is not a reward, it is a gift. We are called out of darkness into God’s own wonderful light. We have nothing to offer to God but our “yes.” God will provide all the rest. Will we accept our calling and seek to surrender to it completely once and for all or will we continue to doubt because we think we are not worthy (no one is worthy) or like Peter (Lk 5:8), we think God has somehow made a mistake (God does not make mistakes)? Let us pray simply to accept our own calling, not asking how or why but simply accept it humbly and gratefully, seeking only God’s will and God’s grace that can completely transform everyone who will but receive it so that we too can help spread the Gospel of love by our new lives in Christ. “Behold, I make all things new!” (Rev 21:5)