Prayerful discernment

Sisters and brothers in Christ, today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

In today's Gospel, we see how Jesus spends his time before making an important decision - "Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God." In the same way, when we have an important decision to make, we should spend it in prayerful discernment just like Jesus. I tell couples who come to us for CALLED TO BE ONE Marriage Class that they are in a period of discernment as they prepare for their wedding day and marriage. It is a time for them to grow together in their relationship with each other but, most of all, with God and discern His will for them.

What I find interesting is, Jesus calls on Judas Iscariot to be his apostle, even though Christ knows that he would become "a traitor". This ought to give us all hope because, no matter how flawed and weak we are, no matter how we fall short of being who God created us to be, no matter how many times we betray God and turn away from Him, God never stops calling us to Himself. God created us out of love and He loves us. It is our Christian hope that we are never beyond the reach of God's redeeming power.

Finally, I just love the passage from Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians:

"You are no longer strangers and sojourners,

but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones

and members of the household of God, 

built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone."

Through the waters of Baptism, we become adopted sons and daughters of the Father, grafted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit to live lives of holiness and strive for saintliness. It is possible with God but we have our part to play as well in the story of our salvation.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Jesus went up 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.