The Twelve - Eleven and One Clinker

Mark 3: 13 - 19                                                      Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those    

whom he wanted and they came to him. 
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach 
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter; 
James, son of Zebedee, 
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; 
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.  

He called twelve very every-day, ordinary, and simple men to be His apostles.   They were rough around the edges, mostly fisherman, but there were a tax collector and an accountant among them as well.  To a man, they left what they did and what they were before to follow a person whom they believed was the Messiah.  Now, what their idea of what a Messiah was supposed to be was in a great measure different than what Jesus knew it was going to be.  He would have to train these men and show them the way that led to heaven.  There would be times when they would doubt, and He would have to assure them.  There would be the odd occasion where they would clamor to be first and He would have patiently show them how it was better to be last.  They would wait to be served and He would teach them to serve.  In short, Jesus started with a gang that needed a lot of work and He spent His time molding them into the men He needed them to be.  He even picked one that would betray Him! 

The story does sound familiar, doesn't it?  It sounds like the story of every one of us.  We are all called to be disciples of Jesus and we, like the twelve, start off as rough and tumble followers with a lot of enthusiasm but not a whole lot more.  So, Jesus uses life and those around us to teach us that it is better to serve than to be served and it better to be last than to clamor to be first.  He had people write it all down for us and He gave us the Church to help us get it right.  So, right now, I don't know where you are at on your spiritual journey with Jesus, but I do know that you are a work in progress and that he is taking an awful lot of time and trouble with you even if you don't see care and concern all of the time.  The secret, I guess, is to quiet your spirit and listen with the ears of your heart to what He is telling you through the circumstances of your life. Every day there is a lesson for you to master.  Every day you are called to display the characteristics of a Christian man or woman.  Remember, that He is there, He is working with you and He will not abandon you. Be one with Him and call on Him every chance you get. 

Listen up:  We like to think that every person who dies goes immediately to heaven. While that can and does happen, it must be a rare event indeed.  In heaven, there is no discord, no lack of love, no sin, no attachment to things of this earth, no anger taken to the grave.  It is a comforting thought to think of our friends and relatives in heaven but what if they really are in Purgatory?  If they are there, they need our prayers desperately.  You loved them in life, love them into the afterlife as well by giving them what they need the most. 

They will be forever grateful.