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...
On this feast of apostles and our Apostolic Church we should notice that Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and spent the night in prayer, before he chose the twelve from among his disciples and named them apostles.
If Jesus named his apostles after a night spent in prayer, we should expect the same of us. Our affiliation and attachment to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church doesn't happen without prayer. There is nothing automatic about it. Without prayer we cannot claim membership within the Church; our sense of belonging is more fantasy than real.
Recently we heard Jesus' gloomy remark, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" This followed his amusing parables about the wicked judge and the persistent widow, and the Pharisee and the publican in the temple. Belonging to Jesus is the result of persistent prayer, personal, communal, and liturgical.
The apostolic tradition is a historical anchor in Truth. When lies abound and powerful liars demand unquestioning loyalty, God's people must remember who they are, and the Eternal Word the Lord has spoken to them. We belong to the Lord; our identity as citizens of any nation or members of any party is secondary.
Lies can be as overt as Mr. Trump's claim that to be the legitimate president of the United States, or as subtle as the demands of fashion police. They can be insinuating, subtly threatening, and apparently harmless. They're as persistent as scam telephone calls, or as laughably absurd as autonomous human settlements on Mars.
Prayer begins in Gratitude for the Word who saves us, and the assurance of an unwavering community. We're here for each other; and for the Earth. We're not going away. We support one another; and, when necessary, set one another back in the narrow way which leads through the narrow gate of Truth. If some are fooled by certain shepherds, others of us saw them climb over the fence. They didn't come through the gate who is Christ.
The apostolic church receives the faith of our ancestors, preserves and celebrates it today, and gives it freely to future generations. The memory of the apostles assures us we've seen worse times than these, and better; and God never abandons his faithful people. We have only to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts fixed in prayer.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.