Jesus Calls You by Name!

       Today, I would like you to reflect in this gospel, chapter three of Mark who told us about the actual calling of the Twelve Apostles. This initial selection of The Twelve in the ministry of Jesus is also found in the other Gospels, Mathew, Mark, and Luke. 

       The number 12 is not random. It has a biblical significance. Jesus calls Twelve, like the twelve tribes of ancient Israel, to symbolize the configuration of the people of God—ancient and new alike— “built on the foundation of the apostles” (Eph 2:20).

      The exact purpose of the call is this: “so that they would be with Him and then to send them to preach.”  Certainly, the purpose of the call to the Twelve has two things: first is that the encounter with Jesus is where they will find the source of light; second is the mission to transmit what has been learned and share those lessons with others—or, in the words of Thomas Aquinas, to “contemplate and give what is contemplated.”

      Also, we cannot ignore the names. Jesus calls us by our names, by who we are, which includes both, our strengths and our frailties. And you as good parishioners have a lot of strengths and abilities. This powerful story in today’s Gospel tells us that each one of us has been called by the Lord. God always calls us in different ways and to do different things to fulfill our mission and to build His Church, as one time God asked St. Francis: “Francis, build my Church.”

      Today, I would like to ask you to give a little more to our parish, your Church. Let us remember, when we give without any interest and without being paid back, God knows how to give in return with abundance. Thank you very much in advance to those who say “yes” to God, for being faithful to your calling and mission for God’s kingdom.

Fr. Jesus