His Choice

October 28, Friday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude Thaddeus, Apostles
Daily Readings: Ephesians 2:19-22; Gospel Luke 6:12-19

Aziz was diagnosed with blood cancer. Lying in a Christian medical college bed, he looked at a picture of Jesus and prayed. "If you can, please heal me." His condition had become very serious the previous day, and the doctors had told the relatives to prepare for his death.

When the doctors examined him that day, they found he had made tremendous improvement and was on the path to recovery. He became a follower of Christ and an itinerant preacher of God’s word.

This is yet another vocation story where Jesus transforms the weak to become mighty instruments in his hands.

Today we celebrate the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude. The gospel passage lists the names of the twelve apostles. They were all ordinary human beings with no special qualifications. Simon is also called "the Zealot." They were a Jewish sect that had extreme nationalistic ideologies. Jude is an unknown person with no unique personality traits.

These apostles remind us that being holy has nothing to do with human worth, culture, personality, effort, or success. They became apostles not by their own choice but by God's choice. It is entirely God’s creation and gift. He chooses people from all backgrounds. He changes fishermen, tax collectors, doctors, and people who are part of extreme religious groups into followers of the Lord who are meek and humble.

Tradition believes that Simon spread the gospel in Egypt and was martyred in Persia.  Jude, like all the saints, is the saint of the impossible.

God, through his grace, creates his divine life in human beings. May we be able to listen to his call and follow him to contribute our might to proclaiming his kingdom, Amen.