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Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-4
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Much can be said about this Gospel passage.
It is immensely rich, offering details into the mind and power of Christ, who chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
This has never changed; the Church remains a community of ordinary believers who’ve done extraordinary things over the last two millennia, from constructing architectural masterpieces to rebuilding lives.
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But allow me to hone in on a single point today: the vast difference, humanly speaking, between the disciples.
Consider Matthew, the tax-collector, and Simon the Zealot. Both were chosen by Christ, but without Him, they would’ve been bitter enemies.
Matthew and Simon were Jewish.
In their days, the Jews largely broke down into four major parties: the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the Zealots.
The Zealots were precisely that – zealous, patriots par excellence for Israel, often willing to go to extreme measures to fight for the Jewish nation.
Rome was their bitter enemy, an invading force that kept the Jews from living freely. Matthew, although Jewish, was a Roman tax-collector who would’ve been hated by the Zealots. In a sense, Matthew was sleeping with the enemy.
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Jesus brings these two men together. He bridges the divide; heals the hatred; he unites these men under a single purpose – the salvation of souls.
That’s what God does; he unites. It’s what religion is meant to do.
Yet how often is religion a source of division, even hatred?
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This is, perhaps, one of the best litmus tests for our faith: has it brought us closer to other people, even those whom we’d otherwise avoid? Does it inspire us to work for peace? Has it caused us to grow in love for our neighbor?
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Just as Christ summoned his disciples and gave them authority on earth, so the invites us to bridge gaps in understanding, to cast out evil, and to create a world of peace.
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Image credits: (1) Compelling Truth (2) Domenico Ghirlandaio, The Calling of the Apostles (3) National Catholic Reporter