Gospel: Luke 6, 12-16

Today’s Gospel begins by stating that Jesus spends the night in prayer. The
responsibility of choosing the correct apostles is important. Yes, even the choice of Judas, the
betrayer, is all part of GOD’s plan. Jesus confers with His Abba-Father before publicly
announcing the twelve.
As I ponder the readings for today’s Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, I am once again
reminded of the role of each believer. Each of us is called to continue the work of the apostolic
Church. That includes two very important aspects: 1) being grounded and rooted in the biblical
and apostolic tradition of the twelve apostles following Jesus; and 2) continuing to be
missionaries by going out to the corners of our personal world and announcing the GOoD News.
It is important for me to realize that I am not a solo proclaimer of GOD’s message. I
have not had a personal revelation from GOD. Rather, I am part of a tradition that goes back
through the apostolic Church to Jesus and the Word of GOD as proclaimed in holy scripture. It
means that I cannot “invent” new teachings about GOD. My belief and my sharing of the Gospel
cannot be simply my personal thinking. I must be rooted in the Truth that is Jesus. I can look
not only to Jesus’ own words but also to the inspired Word of the Bible. I must also be aware of
how the Word of GOD has been passed down through the centuries and presented by people of
faith before me. I must be as informed as I can be about scripture and its interpretation. Yes, I
can share my thoughts and reflections on the Word, but I must always explain from where my
thoughts come: scripture itself, the teaching authority of the Church (tradition), or my personal
ponderings. I must never pass off my personal reflections as equal to, or even somewhat as
valuable as, the Word of GOD.
Secondly, I must continue the work of the apostles. I am called to be a missionary also.
The world to which I must preach may not be as widespread as Paul’s or Peter’s, or Simon’s or
Jude’s. Yet, I must realized that I have been commissioned – “sent out” – to spread the GOoD
News to the people to whom GOD has sent me.
This applies not only to me, but also to all who are a part of the Body of Christ, the
Church. Each of us is standing on the shoulders of the apostles and their successors. We must
be sure we are firmly rooted in where we have come from and we are prepared to support those
who will stand on our shoulders. This is the way the Church continues to be apostolic –
missionary. To use a catch phrase of the last few years, we are, individually and collectively
called to be “missionary (or ‘missonal’) disciples.” And in this way, the psalm response from
today will apply to us as much as it has applied to those who came before us: “Their message
goes out throughout all the world,” or paraphrased, “The Message goes out throughout all the
world through our proclaiming the Word.”