14TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
14TH WEDNESDAY HOMILY OF ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: ‘THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.’
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
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The Gospel today is very familiar to us. We encounter this account several times during the entire liturgical year. For now, let us just focus on the list of the apostles and its implications.
This list is of crucial significance because these are the names of the men who, after the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church, hold a vital role in the life of the Church. They are the twelve pillars which serve as the foundation of the Church.
These men are the apostles of Jesus, not just disciples. A disciple (Latin ‘discipulus’, from ‘discere’ – to learn) is a follower, someone who learns from a teacher and assimilates that teaching into his own life. The Gospel of Luke mentions seventy-two disciples. But surely there could be a lot more than this number. They have high regard for Jesus, and they follow Him wherever He goes. But they have no commitment to Him. They leave any time they wish, especially when His teachings go against their personal principles and beliefs. Such is the case in John 6:66 (a very interesting number!) when many of them left Jesus because they could not accept the teaching about His Flesh and Blood as true food and drink in the Eucharist.
On the other hand, an apostle (Greek, ‘apostolos’, from ‘apostello’) is someone who is sent out on a mission, someone who is entrusted with the responsibility of communicating the instructions of the master to others. This is the core group of the followers of Jesus. They are collectively referred to as the Twelve. They have the special role of handing on and interpreting the tradition they had received from Jesus, a role which in turn they handed down to what we now call the Magisterium composed of the bishops united with the Pope.
There are two interesting details in the list of the names of the apostles. First, St. Matthew begins the list with the word, “first”. And he identifies Simon Peter as the first. St. Mark (3:13‐19) and St. Luke (6:12‐16) as well as the Acts of the Apostles (1:13‐14) also give us a list of the Apostles. In all these lists, the names are mentioned in a different order, but Peter always comes first.
Second, when the word “first” is used, it indicates that there are subsequent ordinal numbers: second, third, fourth, etc. But there is no mention of such. There is only one ʹfirstʹ and then followed by the names of the eleven. Clearly, therefore, to the question of the apostles as to who among them is the first, Jesus gives the answer: Simon, Son of John. He is the only apostle to whom the Father reveals who Jesus is: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Mt 16:17). He is named Peter precisely because Jesus said to him, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). And it is to him that the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” are entrusted (Mt 16:19).
One of the marks of the true Church is ‘apostolic’. This means that the true Church is founded on the apostles, and there is uninterrupted succession from them up to the present. The Pope is the successor of Peter, the first Pope, and the college of bishops is the successor of the apostolic college. Just as among the apostles, Peter is the first (‘primus inter pares’ – first among equals), so also the Pope, being the direct successor of Peter, is the first among all bishops. The Cardinals are also bishops. From among them, the Pope is elected as the Bishop of Rome, successor of Peter, and the Vicar of Christ.
Let us never forget to pray for the Pope and all our bishops. It is to them that the responsibility of safeguarding and handing on the true teachings of the faith is entrusted. They are the key to the unity and orthodoxy of the Catholic Church, the true Church founded by Christ Himself. Let us pray that they will always be guided by the Holy Spirit in the conduct of their sacred office, that they may be steadfast in holding on to the teachings of Jesus Christ and of the Gospel. And most especially, that they truly become holy, for the sake of the flock of Christ and the salvation of souls.
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