the twelve
"At daybreak He called His disciples and selected twelve of them to be His apostles." —Luke 6:13
Jesus chose twelve apostles, in whom He invested the last three years of His life. We, as followers of Jesus, are also called to invest our lives in not just a nuclear family or a circle of friends, but in a small Christian community. By virtue of our Baptisms, we are called to live as brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be brothers and sisters not only in name but in practice. We are called to devote ourselves "to the apostles' instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42). "The community of believers were of one heart and one mind" (Acts 4:32), and we are called to be the same. "Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant, where brethren dwell at one!" (Ps 133:1) We are not only called to go to church together, work together, and pray together. Our unity is not to be superficial. We are called to Trinitarian unity — to be one as Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 17:21).
The Holy Spirit makes us one (Eph 4:3). Repent! Stir into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Tm 1:6-7). In obedience to the Lord, accept twelve disciples with whom the Lord is calling you to share your life. Be one. Be holy. Be Christian.
Prayer: Father, free me to live my baptismal brotherhood or sisterhood to the fullest.
Promise: "Continue, therefore, to live in Christ Jesus the Lord, in the spirit in which you received Him." —Col 2:6
Praise: Peter Claver spent the last forty-four years of his life serving African slaves in Colombia. He called himself the "slave of the slaves forever."
Reference: (For more teaching on this subject, order our booklet, Introduction to Small Christian Communities.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, February 1, 1997
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 4, 1997