28 October/Thursday/ Simon and Jude, Apostles - Feast
Eph 2,19-22/Psa 19,2-3.4-5/Luke 6,12-16
By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
First Reading Ephesians 2:19-22
In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like us
You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18(19):2-5
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Gospel Acclamation cf. Te Deum
Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 6:12-16
Jesus chooses his twelve apostles
Jesus went out into the hills to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When the day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’: Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
Reflection
The readings of today are in line with the celebration of the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude. The readings do not say anything in particular about the two apostles. The Gospel Reading makes no mention of Jude but names Simon called the Zealot. Information about these two apostles comes from other traditions handed down to us by the early Christians. We know that Simon was born in Cana. Both the Gospel of Matthew and Mark use the name Thaddaeus instead of Jude for the second apostle we celebrate today. The lack of ample information about these two apostles allows us to focus on their general role as apostles.
The diverse origins, professions, and characters of the apostles make each of them unique in the mosaic that finally offers us the indications of what it means to be called and sent. The Gospel Reading makes it clear that Jesus spent some time in prayer before selecting the twelve apostles from the group of disciples. This shows that the choice was not casual but one that was guided by a time of discernment and prayer. We may not know what led Jesus to choose these particular people but their diversity reflects the variety that should characterize the Church and in fact, every Christian community.
Looking at the apostles, we realize that unity in diversity is a characteristic mark of the Church. We may all be different from many points of view but we are called to work for the common goal of witnessing to Christ and proclaiming the kingdom of God to all peoples without distinction. Our diversity should be a valuable resource and not an impediment to the unity of the Church. Unfortunately, in the name of uniformity, we have the tendency to force people to behave in the same way. We tend to think that what we do and the way in which we do it is the one and only way. When others think differently or propose other ways of doing the same thing, we feel threatened. In reaction, we seek to bring them in line with our way of thinking. Jesus was able to work with a Zealot and a tax collector who under normal circumstances were of divergent points of view. We should also learn to work for unity despite our divergent opinions and inclinations. In this way, we witness to the universal character of the kingdom of God.
