Gospel: Luke 6:12-16

 

Today the Gospel speaks about two facts: to describe the choice of the twelve Apostles and it says that an immense crowd wanted to meet Jesus to listen to him, to touch him, and to be cured.

 

Before the final choice of the twelve Apostles, Jesus goes up to the mountain and spends the whole night in prayer. And then they received the title of Apostles. Apostle means one sent, missionary. They were called to carry out a mission. The same mission that Jesus Christ received from God the Father. Mark elaborates on the mission and says that Jesus called them to be with Him and to send them out on mission.

 

The names of the Twelve come from the Old Testament: Simon is the name of one of the sons of the Patriarch Jacob. James is the same name as Jacob. Judas is the name of the other son of Jacob. Matthew had the name of Levi, the other son of Jacob. Of the twelve Apostles, seven have a name which comes from the time of the Patriarchs. By the names of the Patriarchs and the ‘Matriarchs’, given to the sons and daughters, people maintained the tradition of the ancients alive and helped their own children not to lose their identity. 

 

Coming down from the mountain with the twelve, Jesus encounters an immense crowd of people who were seeking to listen to His word and to touch the Lord. In this great crowd there were Jews and foreigners, people from Judaea and also from Tyre and Sidon. They were people who were abandoned and disoriented. Our Lord Jesus Christ accepts all those who seek him, Jews and Pagans! This is one of the themes preferred by Luke who writes for the converted Pagans.