The Traitor, the Terrorist, and the Taxman:

 

A Reflection on Luke 6:12-16:

Jesus went up 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.

When I read this Gospel, I'm struck by two things that seem almost contradictory: the intensity of Jesus's prayer and the baffling list of men He chooses.

First, the prayer. Jesus "went up to the mountain... and he spent the night in prayer to God."

This wasn't just a quick, "Okay, Father, who's it gonna be?" This was an all-night vigil. Jesus, the Son of God, who already knew the hearts of all men, steeped this decision in the deepest possible communion with the Father. This wasn't just a choice; it was an act of divine foundation-laying. He was modeling for the Church, for all time, that nothing of eternal consequence should be done without being birthed from prayer.

And then... the list.

After this night of perfect communion, who does He choose? He doesn't descend the mountain with a list of the 12 most righteous, brilliant, or stable men in Judea.

He gives us a list that, from a human perspective, looks like a project-management nightmare.

He chooses fishermen, known for being rough-edged and impulsive. One of them, Simon Peter, would become the rock... but he was also the man who would publicly deny Him three times.

He chooses Matthew, a tax collector. Let's be clear: this is like a modern-day general recruiting a known, despised collaborator from an enemy regime. Tax collectors were seen as traitors to their own people.

And in the very same group, He chooses Simon, "who was called a Zealot." The Zealots were radical political insurgents who hated Rome and anyone who collaborated with them (like, say... tax collectors). Can you even imagine the early dinner conversations between Matthew and Simon? It’s a recipe for a fistfight.

He chooses a doubter like Thomas. He chooses obscure men like James the son of Alphaeus, and the two we celebrate today, Simon and Jude.

And then, there's the one that punches you in the gut. "Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor."

Jesus knew. He spent all night in prayer with the Father, and He still called Judas. He still named him an "Apostle." He still gave him the same commission, the same intimacy, the same call as Peter and John.

This is the part that shakes me, but it's also the part that gives me the most profound hope.

This list isn't a roster of the qualified. It's a testament to grace. God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He didn't choose a team of perfect all-stars. He chose raw, flawed, passionate, broken, and ordinary men. He chose us, in all our contradictions and weaknesses.

He saw Simon the Zealot's passion and knew He could sanctify it from political rage into a fire for the Gospel. He saw Matthew the tax collector's meticulousness and knew He could transform it from a tool of greed into a gift for evangelization. He saw Peter's bluster and knew that beneath it was a love that, once forged in failure, would be strong enough to feed His sheep.

And in Judas, He shows us the terrifying and tragic mystery of our own free will. The call is real. The grace is given. But the "yes" is still ours to give... or to rescind. The inclusion of Judas is the ultimate proof that the Church's authority isn't based on the personal holiness of the man, but on the divine choice of Christ. A purely human institution, founded by this group, would have crumbled in a week.

Today, we celebrate Simon and Jude. Two men on this list who were probably just as flawed as the rest. But they said "yes." They stuck with it. And that "yes," empowered by the Holy Spirit, changed the world forever.

This Gospel tells me one thing: You are called. Not because you're perfect, not because you're worthy, but because He has chosen you. Right now. With all your flaws, your contradictions, and your past.

The question now is, what will your "yes" look like today?