Tuesday, 09-12-23

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Gospel
Luke 6:12-19

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Reflection
The image of a mountain is always a place closer to God. And we note in this particular story something a little unusual, but it's a sign that Jesus obviously prayed often to his father, and I'm sure He asked His advice, ‘Whom should I choose to be apostles?’ The decision was made and He called them, and then what happened so beautifully is as soon as He entered into the crowd of other disciples with these new men with the title Apostle, He explained to everyone what discipleship really is, it is the continuation of the Ministry of Jesus.

So from this high mountain where God dwells, He comes down with the power of God into the earth, into our world, and those who are going to be taking Jesus’ place, watching Him do something that was extraordinary, healing everyone that came in touch with Him. That is the model of ministry. What a powerful way to engage all of us in the same work that Jesus was involved in.

And that is being an instrument of the fathers power, through Him fully human, to heal and to free people of all that robs them of the joy of this kingdom.

Closing Prayer
Father, what often lies dormant within us is the power that you have given us to be an instrument of your healing power. Bless with a greater openness to this great mystery and guide us as we learn how to use this great power, how to use it in a way that we know we are doing your will. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.