You are part of the family of God. You were integrated into the building that has the apostles and prophets as its foundation, and Jesus Christ himself as its main stone. ***

First Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22

Reading of Saint Paul's letter to the Ephesians – Brothers, 19you are no longer foreigners or migrants, but fellow citizens with the saints. You are part of the family of God. 20You were integrated into the building whose foundation is the apostles and prophets, and Jesus Christ himself as its main stone. 21It is in him that the entire construction fits together and rises to form a holy temple in the Lord. 22And you too are integrated into this construction, to become the dwelling place of God by the Spirit. - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 18(19A)

Its sound resonates and spreads throughout the land.

1. The heavens proclaim the glory of the Lord, / and the firmament, the work of his hands; / day to day transmits this message, / night to night publishes this news. – R.

2. They are not speeches or phrases or words, / nor are they voices that can be heard; / his sound resonates and spreads throughout the earth, / his voice reaches the ends of the universe. – R.

Gospel: Luke 6,12-19

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

To you, O God, we praise, to you, Lord, we sing; / praises you, O Lord, the choir of apostles! – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke – 12In those days, Jesus went to the mountain to pray. And he spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he called apostles: 14Simon, on whom he called the name Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15Matthew and Thomas; James, son of Alphaeus, and Simon, called Zealot; 16Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, the one who turned traitor. 17Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stopped on a level place. There were many of his disciples there and a large crowd of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem, from the coast of Tire and Sidon. 18They came to hear Jesus and be cured of their illnesses. And those who were tormented by evil spirits were also healed. 19The whole crowd tried to touch Jesus, because power came from him and healed everyone. – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Simon, one of the twelve apostles, would have belonged to the group of zealots. These constituted a Jewish sect that represented extreme national fanaticism. Their tactics were similar to those of modern political terrorists; They often made raids and killed, attacking foreigners and Jews suspected of collaborating with outsiders. If, in fact, Simon belonged to this group considered subversive by the Jews, it is admirable that Jesus sought, also in this environment, a follower and future missionary of the Gospel. Judas Thaddeus appears in the list of the twelve apostles, and only one intervention of his is known in the Gospel (cf. Jn 14:22). He is considered the author of the letter of Jude (just one chapter with thirty-three verses). Most modern authors, however, think it is someone else.