23-Jan-15

Gospel MK 3:13-19
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Reflection:
To be effective, every organization must have leadership committed to spreading its mission.
Jesus had many disciples; followers, who were studying his message. Now, the time had come to select his apostles from those disciples.These would be the men he would send forth and entrust to spread his message of the Father's love and forgiveness of his children.
In the gospel of Luke we are told that prior to deciding on who to appoint, Jesus spent the night on the mountain "and continued all night in prayer to God.
"In the Christian life, every important decision should be preceded by prayer, asking God, to guide us toward his will.
If God's will is to come about in our life and in our decisions we must be willing to surrender to the "invading presence of God" in our lives. Our ability to surrender is depended on our belief and faith that in all matters, God know best.
Jesus was committed to bringing about God's will on earth.
In making this most important decision of who would carry on his work, Jesus turned to God for guidance.
May we always follow Christ's example and turn to God in prayer.