Being Called Is Not Enough

20 Jan

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.  (Mk 3:13-19)

I have seen it happen over and over again in my life, beginning with some of my high school classmates.  Some of them would receive rather high-paying sports scholarships or academic scholarships.  They would go off to school and come back in their first or second year having flunked out or being dismissed.

Why?  Because they thought that the scholarship itself was going to guarantee them success.  They went to college with the attitude that they would not have to do any work.  Their attitude was their downfall.

Today’s Gospel passage is a vivid reminder of that.  Jesus hand-picked twelve men to be His Apostles.  Eleven of them did all that they could to be faithful to Jesus.  One of them chose to betray the Lord.

The fact that we were baptized in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit does not mean that we do not have to work.  Begin chosen to be a disciple means that we must, in turn, dedicate ourselves to God, following faithfully in the footsteps of His Son.  To do otherwise is to betray Him.

Paul wrote so eloquently, “Let your attitude to that of Christ.  Though He was in the form of God, He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave….He humbled Himself, obediently accepting death, death on a cross.”

God called His Son.  His Son said “yes”.  Jesus called His Apostles.  They said “yes” although Judas would change his answer and betray Him.  Jesus calls us as well.  What will our answer be?

FAITH ACTION:  Be an example to someone who may be struggling with their call.  Let your words and deeds this day reflect the fact that you are a disciple of the Lord, Jesus Christ.