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Master·evangeli.net

Today's Gospel + short theological explanation

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel text (Mt 10:1-7): Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus...

The Church: communion of believers with Christ

Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel portrays the most primitive image of the Church. Jesus Christ, surrounded by His "followers", has just chosen the twelve that are to remain with Him, to become His "Apostles" (the "sent ones"). The evangelists identify their names exactly. While at the Last Supper, bearing witness to the Institution of the Eucharist, the apostles received the ministerial priesthood when they listened to Christ whisper "Do This In My Memory".

The Church is the “new” People of God: the community of those baptized, set up during the Old Alliance and now intended for all mankind. Church-communion, temple of God, sacrament (instrument) of salvation for mankind. Through Baptism, all the faithful receive the call and help to become "children of God in the Son". With this new "status" all of us are "the sent ones of the Lord" as a “bridge” between Man and God: we are all called to participate in the "baptismal priesthood" to make up the "priestly people".

—Jesus, we beg You the vocations for the ministerial priesthood we need to take care of your priestly people.