Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 10, 2024
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
“What name do you give your child?”
“Luke Benedict.”
“What do you ask of God’s Church for Luke Benedict?”
“Baptism.”
And with these simple words, the church helped us name our son’s true identity—Luke’s uniqueness as a beloved child of God. My husband Paul and I have been privileged to participate in this liturgical dialogue six times, beginning with Luke Benedict, all the way down to our little Maria Louisa.
During Maria’s baptism, my deacon uncle quoted Pope Francis, “God allows parents to choose the name by which he himself will call their child for all eternity.” (Amoris Laetitia #166) In quite a miraculous way, we bestow their name, and God calls them to himself by that same name. The Lord has a unique mission for each of us to bring about God’s kingdom. Nightly, my husband or I will bless each of our children with a hand on their forehead, breathing the prayer they have now heard thousands of times which concludes with, “and may one day you know God’s very special job for you.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus’ apostles were not chosen at random but intentionally and personally selected. God calls us by name to bring about God’s kingdom on earth. In the same way, the Church employs our names sacramentally to attach us to that mission. God-willing, we will hear our children’s selected saint names at their Confirmations: “NAME, be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit!” And again, in the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Orders, or at their First Vows or Final Vows (Hey, a mom can dream!).
Hearing our names called again and again in the sacraments reminds us of our true identity—a beloved child of God and a chosen companion of Jesus—as we work to fulfill his command to proclaim the kingdom of heaven to all.
Prayer
Lord God, every time we read the names of the Twelve disciples, we wonder what it will be like to meet them all someday in heaven. Though we know a little about some of them — Peter denied you three times, Matthew was a tax collector, Judas betrayed you, they were fishermen — we don’t really know them. Some day we will know them. Help us to not be afraid of the truth that each day we are one day closer to our heavenly homeland. And send us out, Lord, to witness to the kingdom, to preach the kingdom. May our words and actions be a sign to all the world that your kingdom is here among us and yet to come. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Amelia, or Amalberga, was a noblewoman who lived in Belgium in the eighth century. She and her brother were raised in a devout household and she wanted to give her life to God as a religious sister.
In her legend, her beauty is said to have caught the eye of the young man who would become King Charlemagne. He became obsessed with Amelia and asked for her hand in marriage. She had dedicated her virginity to God, and refused. He persisted, and one day, as she was praying at a church, he tried to pull her away and ended up breaking her arm.
In some stories, her arm healed almost instantly, and Charlemagne withdrew his request. In other stories, he withdrew his request, but became ill; Amelia forgave him and prayed for his healing and he recovered.
She died at the age of 31 and there are many miraculous stories attributed to her. In one account, she crossed a lake by riding on the back of a giant sturgeon fish. She is patron saint of those suffering from bruises and arm pain.
The relics of St. Amelia rest in the reliquary chapel, and she is shown in this stained glass window in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Amelia, you are patron saint of people with broken arms—pray for us!