It was a simple and very ordinary story: He went up the mountain to pray; then he called is disciples; and then he chose twelve among them whom he named apostles. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Today, it is with a simple and ordinary act that I start my day. I try to encounter him every morning in prayer. I listen to his call to discern what it is he wants of me for the day, for the season, in my life.
He totally transformed the lives of the twelve. Except for John, who took care of his mother, and Judas, who betrayed him, all the apostles would die for his sake spending the rest of their lives spreading his good news. They were a brave and heroic group, inspiring those who followed them with their love and dedication.
I have not done anything great nor heroic to match what the apostles did. But in the simple and ordinary unfolding of my life, I have tried to follow their love and dedication as followers of Jesus. And it is in that striving that I have been blessed with many graces, undeserved, unexpected, unmerited, unending. At every turn on the road of life, he has proven himself the God of surprises, always exceeding my wildest expectations and imaginings.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. ~Psalm 19
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.
Luke 6:12-16