January 21, St. Agnes

Kindness and truth shall meet. — Psalm 85:11

Mass Readings: Hebrews 8:6-13 / Mark 3:13-19 

Being with Jesus 

It’s often said that the Church was born on Pentecost, when the promised Holy Spirit came to equip Jesus’ followers to carry on His work. But you might also say that today’s Gospel describes the founding of the Church. Jesus takes His twelve closest friends up a mountain and solemnly appoints them apostles. They will share His mission and will carry it on after He returns to the Father. 

The apostles are “to be with him” (Mk 3:14). That is, they are to do Christ’s work by staying close to Him and walking the path that He walks. I think that’s an important point. The Church does Christ’s work in the world by being like Him, not by implementing a program. That brings up an urgent question: What does it mean to be like Jesus? 

Prayer: Jesus, my Lord, show me how to be like You today.