“These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is 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 Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him.” The apostles weren’t extraordinary because of themselves. What made them special was that Jesus called them, and not somebody else. Their ordinary yes made the Holy Spirit’s extraordinary work possible. We too each have been chosen for a mission, baptised, wherever we may be. It is important not to underestimate our ordinariness, or the value of being faithful to our call to Jesus where we are: we aren’t there accidentally, we are sent there by Jesus. Let’s ask him daily to help us to be that burning saint wherever we are in daily life, so that Jesus can then do what he wants in that situation.
