Of Choosing Apostles and Preaching to Gentiles

Homily for Tuesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time

One of the hallmarks of the Gospel of Saint Luke is that he frequently mentions that Jesus had withdrawn for prayer before major actions in the Gospel. Today we hear that he had gone up a mountain to pray and that upon returning from prayer he named the Twelve Apostles.

A second action follows his choosing of the Twelve. He descends even further down the hillside (there are really no mountains as we know them in Israel) and finds himself on a level plain where he begins to engage in healing people and expelling demons. Tomorrow we will hear that he turns to preaching after having healed all those who had come to him. We will recognize many of the words in that sermon because it is St. Luke’s rendering of what St. Matthew calls the Sermon on the Mount. St. Luke makes a point of saying that this sermon was given on level ground.

His obvious choice of a different location points us to the fact that he is preaching to a different group of people. St. Matthew’s account includes a great many teachings regarding the various commandments of the Sinai covenant. All of that material is missing from St. Luke’s account, because he locates the sermon in the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon where many Gentiles lived. Of course, we remember that Saint Luke himself was a Gentile. Consequently, he is decidedly pointing out that Jesus came not simply for the Jewish people but for all men and women.

In the first reading, St. Paul makes a point of reminding the people of Colossae that they have already received some of the benefits of baptism. They have died with Christ in baptism, but they have also risen with him. Again, St. Paul was preaching to Gentiles. So, in both of the readings we encounter today, our thoughts turn to the fact that Jesus came for all men and women who were seeking God.

That search continues, and like the apostles, we have been tasked with bringing the Gospel to all peoples. We too have experienced some of the benefits of our own baptism, and because of our baptismal commitment, we are called to continue the work of Jesus.