Believers can be companions and united in Christ despite having different backgrounds,

preferences, or levels of spiritual maturity.

Oneness in Christ, God joins people together with unique personalities,

gifts, and perspectives rather than demanding everyone look or think the exact same way.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

 Ephesians 2:19-22 

Now you are

No longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people:

you are of the household of God. You are the house whose foundations are the apostles and prophets,

and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus.

In him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple

in the Lord. In him you too are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.

 

Ps 19:2-3,4-5

Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Luke 6:12-16

At this time, Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God.

When day came, he called his disciples to him, and chose twelve of them,

whom he called 'apostles': Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew;

James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas;

James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James,

and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

Healthy diversity for the sake of the kingdom.

It is interesting how our Gospel is presented. It started with Jesus praying all night on the hills.

After His prayer, He proceeded to choose twelve of His disciples, naming them apostles.

Jesus chose twelve men with different backgrounds and personalities. Many of them were fishermen.

A tax collector who collected money for the Romans was also there, as was a zealot who resisted Roman occupation.

By choosing these men of diverse backgrounds and personalities,

Jesus demonstrates the importance of healthy diversity for the sake of the kingdom.

 

We can be companions of Jesus, even though we have differences.

Open to the gifts that each one has received from the Lord, we,

as a community of believers, can be enriched by one another.

By learning from each other's gifts and idiosyncrasies,

we may grow into mature apostles sent by the Lord to the world for the sake of the Kingdom.