Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
“Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted.”
“Summoned those whom he wanted” may sound like a sort of whim. But in St. Luke’s account in chapter 6, we read: “In those days he 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…”
One could say that Jesus “hand-picked” the men he was sending—“apostle” means sent—to proclaim his new Kingdom. I like to think that this reflects a characteristic of his Father. The initiative is always God’s! From beginning to end, from time to eternity, God is taking the initiative. It is perhaps most intriguing example are the people He has picked to convey his revelation of himself in the world. The Old Testament is full of all sorts of characters who were “picked” by God for a mission. Abraham and Sarah and the Blessed Mother are wonderful examples of this divine action. Why these and not others? God is free to choose whom he wills. David, in our first reading today, gives a characteristic expression of such choosing: “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, as to lay a hand on him, for he is the LORD’s anointed.”
We can apply this to ourselves. By baptism and confirmation, we have been chosen and ritually anointed. Why us? There is no response to this expect that of gratitude and praying to know what God asks of us in order to make us partners in his redeeming the world!
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections