Commentary of the Gospell

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls his twelve apostles – those he would send out to preach and heal on his behalf. From what we know about them, these twelve were very different men. The twelve included both tax collectors who collaborated with Rome (Matthew) and a Zealot who was trying to overthrow the Roman occupation (Simon). We know that they weren’t perfect men. As Mark’s Gospel progresses, they will frequently misunderstand the purpose of Jesus’ mission, expecting him to be a political leader. In the end, most of them will desert him at the cross. One will betray him. Yet Jesus stilled called them and sent them out.

We call our bishops the successors of the apostles. They too have been called by Christ and sent out to teach and to heal, to help us grow in holiness. We (and they!) know that bishops are not perfect, like the original twelve, but we are called to pray for them and to support then as they strive to bring Christ to a world in need of love and mercy.