Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
REFLECTION
"that they might be with him"
In today’s Gospel, Jesus summons His Twelve Apostles. Out of all of Christ’s disciples, He chose twelve to be His Apostles. Jesus gave His Apostles the authority to preach, to heal, and to cast out demons in His Name. However, the Gospel first tells us that He appointed them “that they might be with Him.” Before any mission that we have been appointed by the Lord to do, Jesus first desires that we have a deep friendship with Him. Let us always build on that relationship by praying often and by frequently partaking in the sacraments.
Moreover, the authority of the Apostles has been passed down to the bishops of the Catholic Church. Let us always thank God that He has appointed men to preach the truths of salvation to us. We must also pray very much for the bishops so that they may be strengthened in their ministry.
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