The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, exhort us to act with love and compassion to include all people in the experience of the Love of God.
The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians declares we are One in Christ, the Cornerstone.
* [2:11–22] The Gentiles lacked Israel’s messianic expectation, lacked the various covenants God made with Israel, lacked hope of salvation and knowledge of the true God (Eph 2:11–12); but through Christ all these religious barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended (Eph 2:13–14) by the abolition of the Mosaic covenant-law (Eph 2:15) for the sake of uniting Jew and Gentile into a single religious community (Eph 2:15–16), imbued with the same holy Spirit and worshiping the same Father (Eph 2:18). The Gentiles are now included in God’s household (Eph 2:19) as it arises upon the foundation of apostles assisted by those endowed with the prophetic gift (Eph 3:5), the preachers of Christ (Eph 2:20; cf. 1 Cor 12:28). With Christ as the capstone (Eph 2:20; cf. Is 28:16; Mt 21:42), they are being built into the holy temple of God’s people where the divine presence dwells (Eph 2:21–22). (Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles.
* [6:13] He chose Twelve: the identification of this group as the Twelve is a part of early Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:5), and in Matthew and Luke, the Twelve are associated with the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk 22:29–30; Mt 19:28). After the fall of Judas from his position among the Twelve, the need is felt on the part of the early community to reconstitute this group before the Christian mission begins at Pentecost (Acts 1:15–26). From Luke’s perspective, they are an important group who because of their association with Jesus from the time of his baptism to his ascension (Acts 1:21–22) provide the continuity between the historical Jesus and the church of Luke’s day and who as the original eyewitnesses guarantee the fidelity of the church’s beliefs and practices to the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1–4). Whom he also named apostles: only Luke among the gospel writers attributes to Jesus the bestowal of the name apostles upon the Twelve. See note on Mt 10:2–4. “Apostle” becomes a technical term in early Christianity for a missionary sent out to preach the word of God. Although Luke seems to want to restrict the title to the Twelve (only in Acts 4:4, 14 are Paul and Barnabas termed apostles), other places in the New Testament show an awareness that the term was more widely applied (1 Cor 15:5–7; Gal 1:19; 1 Cor 1:1; 9:1; Rom 16:7).
* [6:14] Simon, whom he named Peter: see note on Mk 3:16.
* [6:15] Simon who was called a Zealot: the Zealots were the instigators of the First Revolt of Palestinian Jews against Rome in A.D. 66–70. Because the existence of the Zealots as a distinct group during the lifetime of Jesus is the subject of debate, the meaning of the identification of Simon as a Zealot is unclear.
* [6:16] Judas Iscariot: the name Iscariot may mean “man from Kerioth.” (Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Cynthia Schmersal offers a poetic prayer to mark the feast today.
Lord, like Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James, whose feast we mark this day,
And like every one of Your disciples throughout history,
You claim us as Your own,
And You summon us.
You summon us to link heart, hand and aim with You and with one another to foster the inbreaking of your kin-dom here and now.Make of us Your dwelling, built together as a communion of saints.
Make of us announcers of Your Good News and doers of Your good works.
Make of us harbingers of hope, bearers of Your Spirit in the particulars of our place and our time.Moment by moment, free us.
Always and in all ways, free us ever more fully to proclaim – more in deed than in word – Your message to all the earth.
May all that we do and all that we are herald our identity as Your holy (and admittedly broken) people,
Members of the household of God and fellow citizens with the holy ones throughout all time.
May the ordinary and extraordinary of our lives be for Your greater Glory this day and all days. Amen. (Schmersal, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors to be apostles,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"It says, 'He called his disciples, and he chose twelve of them,' whom he appointed sowers of the faith, to spread the help of human salvation throughout the world. At the same time, observe the heavenly counsel. He chose not wise men, nor rich men, nor nobles, but fishermen and tax collectors, whom he would direct, lest they seem to have seduced some by wisdom, or bought them with riches, or attracted them to their own grace with the authority of power and nobility. He did this so that the reasoning of truth, not the grace of disputation, should prevail."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.44) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 6:12-16 comments that as “obscure” as Simon and Jude may be, their legacy lives on. Their witness and their intercession continue to affect the lives of countless believers—and in ways neither of them probably imagined.
What’s your legacy? It’s probably a lot more than you imagine. Every one of your prayers of intercession moves the Lord. When you share your faith with someone, his Spirit works through you to touch those with open hearts. When you forgive someone, he pours out grace on that person. He fills every one of your acts of generosity and kindness with his love.
You’ll never see your complete legacy in this life. But imagine how much more you’ll see when, like Simon and Jude, you go to the Lord! So imitate these two apostles’ persistence. Trust that everything you do in Jesus’ name has eternal consequences.
“Jesus, help me to persevere in serving you, just as Simon and Jude did!” (Meditation on Luke 6:12-16, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the passage from Ephesians declares that the Gentiles are now included in the household of God. In Luke, Jesus frequently prays to the Father (11 times) as He acts on the Will of the Father. Friar Jude reminds us of some of the alternate names for the Apostles.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson who reminds Christians deciding how we want to act in the public sphere to begin with the personal experience of God’s overflowing love for the world.
Transformative change in politics depends so much on having a clear view of the desired end. Where does that vision come from? Possibilities may be offered by various ideologies, or party platforms, or political candidates. But, for the person of faith, that vision finds its roots in God’s intended and preferred future for the world. It comes not as a dogmatic blueprint but as an experiential encounter with God’s love, flowing like a river from God’s throne, nourishing trees with leaves for the healing of the nations (see Revelation 22:1–2).…
Such a vision strikes the political pragmatist as idyllic, unrealistic, and irrelevant. But the person of faith, whose inward journey opens [their] life to the explosive love of God, knows that this vision is the most real of all. It is a glimpse of creation’s purpose and a glimmering of the Spirit’s movement amid the world’s present pain, brokenness, and despair. This vision also recognizes the inevitable journey of inward and outward transformation—the simultaneous, continuing transformation of the inward hearts of people liberated by God’s astonishing grace and the outward transformation of social and economic structures liberated by God’s standards of justice. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder the paradox that arises from our experience of the power of love to make positive change in lives as we struggle against social and political changes that will reduce the well being of many.
References
Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/2?
Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?12
Meditation on Luke 6:12-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/28/1114495/
Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Politics Rooted in God’s Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-politics-rooted-in-gods-love/
Schmersal, C. (2024, October 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102824.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Chose Twelve Apostles. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct28a
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