REFLECTIONS TODAY
In view of the abundant harvest and the need for laborers, Jesus, after inviting his disciples to pray for workers, immediately provides the initial answer to the prayer by commissioning his twelve disciples to become his co-workers in the reaping. Jesus does not only share his authority and his mission but also prepares an “administrative structure” that will make possible the continuity of the “movement” he has started.
“Twelve” alludes to the twelve tribes of Israel that constitute the people of God. In the choice of the Twelve we have the inauguration of the new Israel. Note that the twelve disciples are designated as “apostles” (Greek apostoloi). This comes from the verb apostellō which means “to send.” The apostle is “one who is sent.”
As Jesus has been sent by the Father (Mt 10:40) and given authority by God to proclaim the Kingdom, now he sends the Twelve to do what he does. The Twelve are an important group who, because of their close association with Jesus, provide the continuity between the historical Jesus and the early Christians. As the original witnesses, they guarantee the fidelity of the community’s beliefs and practices to the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1-4).
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.’ ”
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.