Meditation: Mark 3:13-19
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Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (Memorial)
Entrance Antiphon
I will look after my sheep, says the Lord,
and I will appoint a shepherd to pasture them,
and I, the Lord, will be their God. Cf. Ez 34:11, 23-24
OR
This is the steward, faithful and prudent,
whom the Lord set over his household
to give them their allowance of food at the...
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Daily Meditation: Mark 3:13-19
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. (Mark 3:13)
If the kingdom of God were a corporation, then Jesus, the “CEO,” would follow the business world’s best practices for screening candidates to be his apostles. He would announce the job openings, people would apply, and Jesus would conduct a series of interviews to screen out unsuitable candidates. He would pick only the “best of the best.”
But that’s not what he did. The men Jesus chose in today’s Gospel surely didn’t seem to be “elite.” They bickered over who was the greatest. They fell asleep during his agony in Gethsemane and ran away after his capture. Peter denied Jesus three times, and Judas betrayed him.
But the kingdom of God is not a corporation. It’s more like a garden. As St. Francis de Sales, whose feast we celebrate today, once wrote,
At creation God commanded plants to bear fruit, each according to its kind (Genesis 1:11-12). In the same way, he commanded Christians, who are the living plants of his church (John 15:5), to produce fruits of devotion, each according to ability and state in life. (Introduction to the Devout Life)
Jesus knows what kind of fruit he’s looking for, and he knows who can produce that fruit—because he’s the one who “planted” them in the first place. He chose them because he knew who they could become. That’s why he picked the men he did. He knew that the time they spent with him and the working of the Holy Spirit in their hearts would lift them up and change the way they thought and acted. He knew that each of these men could bring his gospel to the world.
Jesus still summons those he wants today—and he wants you! Maybe you’re not called to be an apostle, but you are called to be a disciple. Jesus knew what he was doing when he chose you. Yes, he sees your flaws and weaknesses. But, as with the apostles, he sees your goodness as well and all that you can become. He knows the fruit you will bear, and it’s fruit that only you can bear.
The Lord wants you in his garden. He has a special place for you.
“Lord, here I am. Help me to bear fruit for your kingdom today!”
Hebrews 8:6-13
Psalm 85:8, 10-14
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