“In a world where there is so much
noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus
concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to
the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who
are suffering.” - Pope Benedict XVI – from his meeting with members of the
Roman clergy March 2, 2006
Gospel
Text: (LK 6:12-19)
Jesus departed to the mountain to
pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.
Most of us Catholics in the Western
world live very spoiled lives. We consider the making of a Holy Hour a great
sacrifice on our part. The Gospel accounts of Jesus' life show how common it
was for Jesus to spend an entire night "in vigil". The lives of the
saints show men and women from various stations in life all taking up this
practice of the Lord in order to be close to Him.
The second notable thing about Jesus'
prayer in today's Gospel passage is that He is engaged in prayer before a
significant choice. This reveals that the choice that follows—here, the
choosing of the Twelve—is a choice made together by the Father and the Son, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit.
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