Reading 1
Heb 8:6-13
Brothers and sisters:
Now our high priest has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.
For if that first covenant had been faultless,
no place would have been sought for a second one.
But he finds fault with them and says:
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand to lead
them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they did not stand by my covenant
and I ignored them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant I will establish with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and I will write them upon their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kin, saying,
“Know the Lord,”
for all shall know me, from least to greatest.
For I will forgive their evildoing
and remember their sins no more.
When he speaks of a “new” covenant,
he declares the first one obsolete.
And what has become obsolete
and has grown old is close to disappearing.
Ps 85:8 and 10, 11-12, 13-14
Responsorial PsalmR. (11a)
Kindness and truth shall meet.
Show us, O LORD, your mercy,
and grant us your salvation.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Kindness and truth shall meet.
Gospel
Mk 3:13-19
Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Meditation: Mark 3:13-19
“He … summoned those whom he wanted.” (Mark 3:13)
There is an important distinction in today’s Gospel, but we often overlook it. Mark tells us that Jesus “summoned those whom he wanted” and that from those whom he summoned, “he appointed twelve” (Mark 3:13,14). Jesus didn’t call only the twelve. Here, at the outset of his ministry, he gathered many followers. And he continued to call people: Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5), Lazarus (John 11:38-43), even Paul (Acts 9:1-16). And everyone he called to be with him, he also called to go out and share his good news. It wasn’t just the apostles who preached and witnessed. All the first believers proclaimed Jesus and the transforming power of his love.
Jesus calls you, too—right where you are. Just because you are not one of “the twelve” doesn’t mean you aren’t special. You are. You are called to be a witness of his power and presence among us: to your children in your home, to your co-workers at the office, to the slow checker at the grocery store (and to the person with seven bags of groceries ahead of you), to your opponents on the ball field, to the speed demons and their slow counterparts on the highway.
Few of us will ever have a formal pulpit to preach from, but we can all declare the love of God in how we speak to, and about, others. Few of us will have an official healing ministry, but we can all minister healing love to others—through hugs, gentle pats, the attention we give to things they have to say, even the way we look at them.
The smiles, nods, and waves you offer—even to strangers—can change the atmosphere in a room or someone’s heart instantly. Silent prayers can bring peace to a tense situation within seconds. Your determined refusal to take offense, even when it’s liberally offered, may not exactly drive a demon out, but it won’t give him any quarter to engage. Every day, you face countless opportunities to preach and exercise authority in the name of Jesus. So seize those opportunities. Remember: You are called. By Jesus!
“Here I am, Lord! Thank you for calling me. Help me to tell the world of your love and presence, to minister your peace, and to exercise your authority.”
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