The community of missionary disciples

Today, we reflect on the the call of Jesus to the twelve whom he named apostles. It is also the feast of Saint Agnes, which is important for me because when I received my first call to overseas mission, it was to the community of Santa Inez (Saint Agnes) on the periphery of Santiago in Chile. As we read Mark 3:13-19, we realize that Jesus had come to a very important moment in his life. He had begun his mission going around Galilee teaching and healing. He was making an impact on people, but how could he be sure that his missionary work would continue if he was no longer present and how could he be sure that his message would reach large numbers of people. He saw that the way to solve these problems was to choose a group of followers ''who would be with him,'' so that his message and way of life would be forever written in their hearts, and they would carry that message out to many others. Jesus was in no way a one-man-band. From the beginning he saw that his message had to be lived out in community. Whereas the word Pharisee means separated, the essence of Christianity was to bring people together to live out their love of Jesus by loving and supporting each other. As Peter and the twelve, Agnes and so many martyrs dedicated their lives to following Jesus, so we too have received the wonderful invitation ''to be with him,'' as members of the community of missionary disciples.