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Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-7
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.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Much can be said about the selection of the Twelve Apostles. Why were these men chosen? What was it about each of them that elicited Christ’s calling? And when standing shoulder to shoulder, what did the Apostles think about each other?
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It was an incredibly diverse group – so much so that without Christ as their shepherd, some of these men might’ve been bitter enemies. Perhaps that’s part of the point.
There was Peter, often the emboldened spokesperson at the center of it all. John, the Beloved Disciple, the youngest and perhaps most idealistic. Judas, the treasurer turned betrayer. And so on.
But there were two Apostles, in particular, who were polar opposites, Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot.
Jews hated paying taxes to Rome. They wanted their own sovereignty, government, and land. The idea that Matthew, a Jew, would work in cahoots with the Romans was inconceivable to people like Simon.
Simon was likely part of a patriotic movement known as the “Zealots,” who were willing to go to extreme measures, even violence, to fight for Jewish independence. Thus, to him, Matthew would’ve been someone who was “sleeping with the enemy.”
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Yet Jesus was able to bring all of these men together, setting aside their differences, uniting them under a single purpose: the salvation of souls. It not only speaks to the Lord’s leadership, but also the docility of these men who were open to change.
We still need God’s Spirit to unite us under the bosom of Mother Church today, with the successor of Peter at the very center. Are we not reminded of this after the recent, and necessary, excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X?
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May the Apostles intercede for us, that we would band together with the same courage, humility, and willingness to change for the salvation of souls.
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Image credits: (1) Our Sunday Visitor (2) Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter, Peter Paul Rubens (3) Crossroads Initiative