January 20, Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Hebrews 8:6-13 Gospel: Mark 3:13-19
Jesus appointed twelve apostles. Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, 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.
Today's Gospel examines Christian vocation: " The Lord called those he wanted to be with him and sent them to be apostles" (cf. Mk 3:13-14). First, He called them. He selected us in him before the world's creation to be holy (cf. Eph 1:4). God loves us and shapes us in Christ so we might become his children. When we analyze these qualities from a vocational perspective, vocation is the “role” in life that God's plan of redemption has given us so that we might perform our part in his mission of restoration. Only by identifying and performing our God-given purpose will we know ourselves as God does.
What does God ask of His chosen? He invites us to serve him near, and in exchange, He pledges to remain close. God talks to us, each and every one, individually and specifically. Saint Josemaria Escriva said that God advised us to become an apostle of the apostles by following Christ sincerely. True peace didn't come until you freely answered "yes" to God, which is miraculous and mysterious.
Vocation is a blessing we can only fully understand by serving, praying, and receiving the sacraments. The Second Vatican Council said, “All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and the perfection of charity; by this holiness as such a more human manner of living is promoted in this earthly society” (LG 40).
We have to share Jesus with others. This is how we discover our apostolic mission to share Christ. St. Paul experienced the goodness of the Lord, so he tried to share it with others. That is why St. Paul said, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel.” (1 Cor 9:16)
Today and every day, we must think about the genuine nature of our vocation, responding to his call with a deeper awareness of what He asks us to do and be. Let us try to share with others the goodness of the Lord that we have experienced.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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