By William Selvaraj csc –
Readings: Heb 8: 6-13; Mk 3: 13-19
The Gospel reading of the day lists the names of the Apostles whom the Lord chooses as his close collaborators. Some of them are fishermen, one is a zealot, other is a tax collector and another turns out to be a traitor. God’s choices are really strange and different but there is a great purpose in his plan. We see many examples from the scripture. Noah was a drunkard, Jacob was a liar, Leah was an ugly woman, Abraham was too old, Moses was a murderer, Joseph was abused, Jeremiah was a cry-baby, John was an escapist, Judas was a Betrayer, Peter was a denier, Thomas was a doubter, and Saul was a persecutor. His disciples were mostly uneducated, unqualified ones, not worthy in society, nonprofessionals who had no wealth or possession, no s cial advantage, and who do ordinary things.
But Jesus does not look at our human merits, ranks, grades, and outward qualifications but our interior attitudes and behaviors. Our qualification does not matter when it comes to responding to God’s call. God helped all the apostles to use their skills for catching the people for the kingdom of God. He called each of them to be with him in his ministry of healing, preaching, teaching and proclaiming the good news about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus wanted ordinary men who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. God has a plan in calling his people. That plan has a purpose. That purpose has a mission. That mission has a ministry. That ministry has motivation and fulfilment in doing the will of God. Jesus also invites you and me to be a messenger of love and peace and above all proclaim the good news everywhere. He does not look at our skills or our capabilities. But he makes us capable of everything under his direction and power.
When God calls us to serve, we should not neglect rather accept it with full assurance that we can do well. The personal question for us to reflect upon is, how can we collaborate with Christ, in bringing about the Kingdom today? So, let us pray to God that he may make use of our vulnerability for the greater purpose in his Kingdom.