Gospel Reflection

October 28, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Feast of Saint Simon and Jude, Apostles

12:15PM Mass, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord (Megamall Chapel)

Reading 1 Eph 2:19-22

Brothers and sisters: 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 him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel Lk 6:12-16

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.

HOMILY

My dear brothers and sisters, each of one of us has made a major decision at some point in our lives, and for sure, later on, we will still have to make major decisions. The question is - what do we do when we have to make major decisions, like getting married, studying, looking for a job? What do we do before making an important decision? Some of us think and study all aspects of the situation, while some of us rely on our emotions, or on what we feel.

We heard in the Gospel today that before making the major decision of selecting his Apostles, what did Jesus do? The night before, He spent His time praying to the Father. How about us? Do we also pray before making major and important decisions? We should not forget what Jesus did - we have to pray. It is in prayer that we are enlightened. In praying, we will be able to see and understanding things better. It will help us to be back again and stay at the right direction.

Jesus' Apostles faced a lot of challenges in their life, but they remained steadfast through prayer. Prayer will strengthen our faith, and give us renewed courage to remain faithful, humble and active missionaries of the Lord. Let us, therefore, not forget to spend time in prayer.