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Gospel: Luke 6: 12-16
Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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(Did you catch the joke in the meme above? Always nice starting the day off with a little laughter).
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Jesus chose the Apostles, including Saints Simon and Jude whose feast day we celebrate today, for some of the same reasons that he chooses us:
First, he chose them to be his friends. Jesus wanted people to share his life and ministry with.
Do you feel that same invitation from God, calling you to be his friend?
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Secondly, he chose them to be his disciples. To be a disciple means to “learn” from a teacher. Thus, Jesus wanted to teach his disciples how to live a fulfilling life – and ultimately, how to find eternal life.
Are you a disciple of Jesus? Do you “learn” from him?
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Finally, he chose them because they were ordinary. We know at least some of the disciples were either fishermen or tax collectors. None of them were wealthy, powerful, or well educated. They were all “blue collar” men, who would change the world.
There’s still a lesson in that for us: God doesn’t need the wealthy or powerful to do his will; he only needs ordinary believers who have an open mind and a willing heart.
Am I open to doing the Lord’s will?
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Saints Simon and Jude were ordinary people whose lives were changed by the Lord.
May we, too, be friends of Jesus who love him, learn from him, and follow him into eternal life.
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Image credits: (1) Jesus Calling Yearly Planner (2) Catholic Memes, Reddit (3) Society6