Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“Jesus Appointing the Apostles”
by James Tissot, 1886-96

Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Colossians 2:6-15
 
Brothers and sisters:
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,
rooted in him and built upon him
and established in the faith as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elemental powers of the world
and not according to Christ.
 
For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily,
and you share in this fullness in him,
who is the head of every principality and power.
In him you were also circumcised
with a circumcision not administered by hand,
by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ.
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead in transgressions
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross;
despoiling the principalities and the powers,
he made a public spectacle of them,
leading them away in triumph by it.
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Commentary on Col 2:6-15
 
St. Paul begins this selection with a warning to the Colossians to be careful not to fall into traps laid by secular teaching. He reminds them that Jesus Christ is God (who took on flesh as true man and was crucified for our salvation), and that all power resides in him. He concludes this passage with the classic witness of the triumph of the cross over sin and death.
 
CCC: Col 2:9 484, 515, 722, 2502; Col 2:11-13 527; Col 2:12 628, 1002, 1214, 1227, 1694
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:1b-2, 8-9, 10-11
 
R. (9) The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
 
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
 
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
 
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
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Commentary on Ps 145:1b-2, 8-9, 10-11
 
Psalm 145 is an individual song of praise and thanksgiving. Here the singer praises God for his merciful kindness. His compassion extends to all creation and all creation should give the Lord thanks and praise.
 
CCC: Ps 145:9 295, 342
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Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
 
Jesus 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:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
 
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.
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Commentary on Lk 6:12-19
 
This passage is the call of the twelve apostles from St. Luke’s Gospel. It is noteworthy that Jesus begins this process with a prayer of discernment.  He then names the Twelve (including Judas Iscariot who was replaced after his suicide).  This important event extends Jesus' mission through these chosen ones (selected from the ranks of Jesus’ disciples: see Mark 3:14-15).  This selection marked them with special authority (Matthew 10:1ff) and responsibility to transmit the gospel to the world. The Lord is conscious of establishing the “New Israel.” His selection of the “Twelve” is symbolic of appointing new leaders of the twelve tribes of the Hebrew people who are rejecting him as Messiah.
 
In addition to giving the names, we are told that once the choice had been made he immediately went on with his teaching and healing ministry with renewed vigor. All “wished to touch him” because of his power to heal mind and body. These concluding verses are a prelude to St. Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain.”
 
CCC: Lk 6:12-16 1577; Lk 6:12 2600; Lk 6:19 695, 1116, 1504
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Reflection:
 
One of the most important and difficult tasks Jesus had in his ministry was the selection of those who would carry his message to the world once he was called home to the Father.  Earlier in the Gospel we heard his statement that anyone who wanted to be his disciple must forsake all earthly ties and possessions.  Having done this, he now is forced to choose, from those who remain, the twelve who will be his special friends. They will receive special training and be given the task of taking God’s revelation to the rest of the world.
 
How did the Lord decide to pick these twelve?  Some of them we know he knew personally, and had called individually.  Specifically, we know he chose Simon Peter, and James and John, Zebedee’s sons.  We know he knew Andrew who was one of the disciples of John the Baptist (and brother of Simon Peter), and we have also heard how he came to know Matthew the tax collector.
 
Stories of how he selected the others have not been handed down as individual encounters.  What is supremely important to us is the example we see in how the Lord made this important selection (yes, including the call of Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Son of God).  The Gospel tells us that before these men were called the Lord went up to a high place and prayed by himself.  It was not a short prayer for guidance.  We are told that “Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” 
 
That his selections were divinely inspired is a given (the Lord is after all true God as well as true man).  What we take away is that even the Son of God took time to commune with the Father before making his choice.  How often do we make important decisions that affect our lives and families without taking that most important first step?
 
It is easy to remember to spend time in prayer when we think about things of God, or when we want events impacting us over which we have no control to come out a certain way. Do we also ask for guidance when we take on tasks over which we do have control?  How often do we ask: “Lord should I really make this purchase?” Or: “God help me to make the right choice about the school my child should attend.”
 
The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us in such situations.  We cannot get the full benefit from the Lord if we do not ask for and listen to his advice.  The simple act of asking places things in perspective and the answer will be given.  We have had that promise from the Lord himself.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Jesus Appointing the Apostles” by James Tissot, 1886-96.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.