THE MYTHICAL TWELVE
I have been to the Holy Land many times, but as in anything, the first time is
always most memorable. I was privileged, blessed indeed, to be part of a
pilgrim group to walk where Jesus walked, to stand where Jesus stood,
to sit where Jesus sat — in short, to be where Jesus was. It was a
surreal experience, something I could not explain at that time but which
I can verbalize now: being in the Holy Land is a gift, a remarkable,
personal experience of God who is love. And since then, I have always
welcomed the opportunity to visit the Holy Land again and again because
every experience brings something new to my faith life, to my ministry,
and to the people I am with in those pilgrimages.
The Gospel introduces to us the Chosen Twelve. The experience to be in
the Holy Land must have been different for the twelve men whom Jesus
chose to be His Apostles. I cannot begin to imagine how they must have
felt during those times. Imagine walking, eating, talking and praying
with Jesus Himself, listening to His parables, asking Him questions,
touching Him and embracing Him every chance they could. The first disciples must have been the happiest people on earth.
But even the happiest can be blinded sometimes: Peter by fear, Thomas
by doubt, Judas Iscariot by greed. They were chosen, personally called
by the Lord, yet they were still afraid, doubtful and greedy. This
brings to mind our own shortcomings, even if we consider ourselves close
to God and have a healthy relationship with our brothers and sisters in
faith.
Providentially, the First Reading today reminds us to walk in the Lord,
be rooted and built upon Him, and established in the faith as we were
taught, abounding in love and thanksgiving. If we need to walk with Him,
we need to walk faithfully with Him. This we can do always, not only
because we have personally experienced walking in the holy grounds of
Jerusalem, but because Jesus gave us a model on how we should lead our
lives – Himself. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS
REFLECTION QUESTION: How closely and faithfully do you walk with the Lord?
Lord,
thank You for accepting me in spite of my fear, doubt and greed. May I
follow You more faithfully each day of my life. Amen.
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