Mass Readings and Meditations “The Word among Us” Friday, 24 January
2014
Meditation: Mark 3: Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he
wanted, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve, whom he also named
apostles,[a] to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15 and
to have authority to cast out demons. 16 So he appointed the twelve:[b] Simon
(to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James son of Zebedee and John the brother
of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 and
Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed him.
Jesus and Beelzebul
Then he went home;
Footnotes:
a. Mark 3:14 Other ancient authorities lack whom he also named
apostles
b. Mark 3:16 Other ancient authorities lack So he appointed the
twelve
Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
They came to him. (Mark 3:13)
“On a clear day,” songwriter Alan Jay Lerner assures us, “you
can see forever.” From the top of the Willis Tower in Chicago, you can see as far
as fifty miles. It’s understandable, then, that when Jesus commissioned his
chosen twelve disciples, he summoned them up onto a mountain. He was taking
them to a place where they would have bigger vision, where they could see more
and broader and farther in every direction. It was a place of clarity and light
and hope in what the Father had in store for his creation. In a sense, he
wanted them to see “forever.”
Mark also tells us that Jesus called the Twelve by name. He
changed Simon’s name to Peter and designated James and John as “sons of
thunder” (Mark 3:17). He knew those men very well, and he showed that knowledge
in their new names.
Yet they were just beginning. Peter would still waver at the
crucial hour. James and John would still thunder about being the greatest. No
matter. Jesus saw them with a depth of understanding that reached far beyond
that moment in time.
Jesus knows you very well. He is always on that mountain,
looking farther than any of us can see. He sees deeply and clearly into your
life and understands far more about you than just who you are today. He sees
the person his Father created you to be. He isn’t daunted by your present
reality any more than he was dismayed by who the Twelve were the day he
commissioned them. Jesus sees the bigger picture. His faith in the Father’s
plan for you is unshakable.
Most amazing of all, Jesus offers you the chance to have that
deep and knowing vision. He calls you by name, as he did the disciples, to come
away with him and to allow him to give you bigger vision. As you pray and read
Scripture, reflect on what God seems to be doing in your life. He is summoning
you to be and to do something. Write down what you think. Ask him to show you
more about it. He wants you to see more and broader and clearer—so that you can
share that vision with the people around you!
“Jesus, enlarge my vision today. Take me to a place where I can
see what you are calling me to.” Amen!
1 Samuel 24: 3 He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where
there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself.[a] Now David and his men
were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 The men of David said to
him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy
into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David
went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 5 Afterward David was
stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 6 He
said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the
Lord’s anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul.
Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way.
8 Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and
called after Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed
with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. 9 David said to Saul, “Why do
you listen to the words of those who say, ‘David seeks to do you harm’? 10 This
very day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave;
and some urged me to kill you, but I spared[b] you. I said, ‘I will not raise
my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see
the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner
of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no
wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are
hunting me to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you! May the
Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the ancient
proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not
be against you. 14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you
pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? 15 May the Lord therefore be judge, and give
sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and
vindicate me against you.”
16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul
said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17
He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good,
whereas I have repaid you evil. 18 Today you have explained how you have dealt
well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.
19 For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the enemy safely away? So may the
Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now I know
that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be
established in your hand. 21 Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will
not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my name
from my father’s house.”
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 24:3 Heb to cover his feet
b. 1 Samuel 24:10 Gk Syr Tg Vg: Heb it (my eye) spared
Psalm 57: 2 I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his
purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame
those who trample on me.Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions
that greedily
devour[a] human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp
swords.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 57:4 Cn: Heb are aflame for
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed
down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen
into it themselves.Selah
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over
all the earth.
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