Christian Art | Jesus Chooses Twelve Apostles | King James Audio Bible | Gospels | KJV
Luke 6: 12-19 – Week 23 Ordinary Time, Tuesday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 ¶ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
17 ¶ And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judæa and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
Since beginning his ministry, Jesus has called his first disciples to follow him. Now it is time to choose, from his disciples, the twelve who are to be called Apostles, that is those who are to be most especially sent to preach, on mission, and to found and to lead the Church. There are key, notable stages as Jesus constitutes his Church – the Apostles will be fully confirmed in their mission on the day of Pentecost. This is one such important stage.
Accordingly, Jesus goes out alone into the hills to pray. We are struck once again by Jesus’ prayer to his Father, and led to consider the relationship between Christ’s full humanity and full divinity, these two natures singly embodied. We may think, for example, of the vast gulf between the voice of the psalms, through which Christ speaks to us and through which we pray, which are those very words which Jesus prayed, and the absolute supreme divinity of Christ, God the Son, overarching the universe, exceeding all we can possibly know. To consider such prayer might afford us some glimmer of Jesus’ prayer on the hill sides, alone with God the Father, aligning his assumed humanity to the divine will.
Luke’s Gospel now carefully names those who are to be the Twelve Apostles. We have heard something already of Jesus’ first calling of his disciples, and we will learn a little more of the Apostles individually as the Gospel narrative progresses. Perhaps we may be struck by the care to record the Apostles’ names, even as in the cases of Jude – Judas Taddeus – and James, son of Alphaeus, this really is all we know about them. There is care to transmit an accurate legacy to the Church faithful through all time.
Jesus now proceeds to preach and to heal. There are many, many people by this time who come to be near Jesus, and they are both Gentile, such as from Tyre and Sidon, and Jew. Jesus does not stint in his healing. There is truly a great company of witnesses established at the time of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus gave this level of certainty to so many people then, and so to us now. In our time, Jesus’ Gospel mission gives us confidence as we pray and worship, secure in the knowledge of the historical facts recounted.
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Almighty, ever-living God,
who sent down your Holy Spirit on the Apostles,
send forth that same Spirit of love into our hearts
so that we may bear faithful witness to you,
before all mankind.
Through Christ our Lord.
King James Audio Bible Bible | Endnotes
What Is The Significance Of The Twelve?
In the Bible, the number twelve is a significant number with symbolic associations that represent completeness, authority, and governance. In the Old Testament, the twelve tribes of Israel were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob, representing the people of God. Similarly, in the New Testament, Jesus selected twelve men to become his disciples, forming the foundation of the Christian church.
The twelve disciples were a diverse group of individuals, each with his own unique personalities and gifts, but together they formed a dynamic team that would carry out Jesus’ mission. They represented a range of professions, including fishermen, tax collectors, and political activists. Jesus selected these men for a specific purpose, to become leaders of the Church and to spread his message to the world.
The number twelve is associated with governance and authority in the Bible. The twelve sons of Jacob became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Genesis 49:28, Jacob blesses his twelve sons and predicts their future, and in Exodus 24:4, Moses chooses twelve leaders of Israel to come up to the mountain to receive God’s commandments. This connection to the twelve tribes of Israel suggests that the selection of the twelve disciples by Jesus was part of God’s plan to establish a new covenant with his people.
In the book of Numbers 13:2, God commands Moses to appoint twelve spies to explore the land of Canaan. The twelve spies were chosen from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, and their mission was to bring back a report on the land’s fertility and the strength of its inhabitants. This story suggests that the selection of the twelve disciples was also part of a mission to explore and conquer new territory; this prefigures conquest of the hearts and minds of people with the message of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation 21:12-14, the New Jerusalem is described as having twelve gates, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them. The city also has twelve foundations, with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on them. This description of the New Jerusalem suggests that the twelve disciples were foundational to the establishment of the Christian Church and that their role was integral to God’s plan of salvation.
Christian Art | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Prayer And Meditation This relaxing prayer and meditation with Jesus reflects upon three Gospel passages – of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. These are: 1. Jesus’ healing of the multitude; 2. The parable of the labourers in the vineyard; 3. The rich young man and the camel through the eye of the needle. This meditation is presented on YouTube: Thank you for praying this reflection. May the love of Jesus Christ be with us all.
Christian Art | A Boy At Prayer With Jesus | Eucharist Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 3, Sunday | A Reading From The First Apology Of Saint Justin Martyr In Defence Of The Christians | Celebration Of The Eucharist ‘Celebration of the eucharist.’ Saint Justin Martyr: Celebration of the Eucharist Saint Justin Martyr’s account of Christian Eucharistic worship, written around 155 AD, is one of the earliest and most significant descriptions of the liturgy outside of the New Testament. Composed as part of his First Apology—a formal defense of Christianity addressed to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius—this passage reveals not only the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the early Church but also the theological, communal, and sacrificial dimensions of Christian worship as it was practised just a few generations after the apostles. Faith, Baptism And The Moral Life As Prerequisites Justin opens by affirming that no one may partake of the Eucharist unless they believe the Church’s teachings, have been baptized (‘washed in the regenerating waters’), and live according to Christ’s commands. This threefold requirement—orthodoxy (right belief), sacramental initiation (baptism), and orthopraxy (right living)—highlights the deeply integrated nature of early Christian identity. Eucharistic communion was not a casual or symbolic act; it was a profound participation in the mystery of Christ, accessible only to those who were fully incorporated into his Body, the Church. Real Presence And Eucharistic Transformation Justin’s teaching on the Eucharist is unmistakably clear: the bread and wine, through the ‘prayer of thanksgiving’ (Greek: eucharistia), become the body and blood of the incarnate Jesus Christ. This is not metaphorical language. Drawing on the Incarnation itself as an analogy, Justin explains that just as Christ became flesh by the power of the Word, so the Eucharistic elements become his flesh and blood by the power of the same Word, invoked in prayer. This theological reasoning lays a foundation for later doctrinal developments such as the Church’s formal teaching on the Real Presence and transubstantiation. Notably, this passage predates the formalization of these doctrines by centuries, yet the essential belief is already fully formed—a powerful testimony to the apostolic origin of the Church’s sacramental theology. The Apostolic Command And Continuity Justin grounds the Eucharistic rite in the direct command of Jesus: Do this in memory of me. He attributes this tradition to the apostles’ ‘recollections’ (anamneses), which are equated with the Gospels. This demonstrates the early Church’s consciousness of its liturgical life being not a novel invention but the faithful continuation of Christ’s instruction, carried on through apostolic succession. The fact that this teaching is described in a public defence of Christianity underscores Justin’s desire to correct Roman misunderstandings about Christian worship, which had been accused of cannibalism due to misinterpretations of Eucharistic language. Sunday Worship And Scriptural Proclamation Justin describes the Sunday assembly (koinē synaxis) as a weekly gathering of Christians from both city and countryside, centered around the reading of Scripture—first the writings of the prophets (the Old Testament), then the apostolic writings (what we now call the New Testament). After the readings, the presider (likely a bishop or priest) offers a homily, encouraging moral and spiritual growth. This structure is clearly recognizable in the Mass today: the Liturgy of the Word followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Importantly, Justin situates this practice within the broader theological framework of the Lord’s Day—the first day of creation and the day of the Resurrection. Thus, Sunday worship is simultaneously eschatological and cosmological: it celebrates not only the new creation in Christ but also the re-creation of the world through his rising from the dead. The Eucharistic Prayer And Communion Justin’s account continues with the presentation of bread, wine, and water, followed by a Eucharistic Prayer during which the president offers thanks ‘to the best of his ability’, and the people respond with ‘Amen.’ This prayer is the epicentre of the liturgy, paralleling the Canon of the Mass. The Eucharist is then distributed to those present, and deacons carry it to those absent—perhaps the sick or imprisoned. This detail reveals the strong pastoral and communal dimension of the Eucharist. It is not a private devotion but a gift of Christ shared with the whole body, particularly the vulnerable. Charity And Ecclesial Responsibility The offering of gifts by the wealthy, administered by the president and used for the support of the poor, widows, orphans, and the imprisoned, reflects how closely the Eucharist was tied to practical charity. The Eucharist made real the communion of the faithful with Christ and with one another. It was not only a mystical participation in Christ’s body but also a lived expression of solidarity and sacrificial love. This aspect finds resonance in Acts 2:42–47 and remains central to Catholic social teaching. Apostolic Tradition In Action Justin’s testimony, written a mere century after the Resurrection, powerfully confirms that the early Church’s Eucharistic worship—centred on the Word, Sacrament, community, and charity—was already well-developed and firmly grounded in apostolic tradition. His witness is critical not only for understanding the historical roots of the Mass but also for deepening modern appreciation of the Eucharist’s enduring meaning. In our own time, when the mystery of the Eucharist is often misunderstood, taken for granted, or even rejected, Justin’s words remind us that the Church has always confessed the true and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His account also reinforces the communal, sacrificial, and transformative nature of this sacrament, which, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life’ (CCC 1324). A Reading From The First Apology Of Saint Justin Martyr In Defence Of The Christians | Celebration Of The Eucharist No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ. We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as […]
Who Is Mary Magdalene? Mary Magdalene is known for her unwavering faith and devotion to Jesus. In the Bible, she is one of the few people who stood by Jesus during his crucifixion and witnessed his resurrection. Her faith and courage have inspired Christians for centuries, and her example continues to resonate today [ … ]
