A
Reflection on Mark 3:13-19
When Jesus went up the mountain to
call his twelve apostles, he wasn't holding job interviews or looking for the
most qualified candidates. He called them by name, fishermen, a tax collector,
zealots, ordinary men with different backgrounds, different temperaments,
different weaknesses. This is the beautiful mystery of God's call: it's
personal. Jesus didn't send out a general announcement saying, "whoever
wants to follow me, come along." No, he "summoned those whom he
wanted," Mark tells us. Each man heard his own name spoken by the voice of
God himself. This is how Jesus still works today. He knows your name. He knows
your story. And he's calling you, specifically you, to follow him and to be
sent out into the world.
What's striking is that Jesus called these twelve "to be with him"
before he sent them out to preach and drive out demons. Mission comes second;
relationship comes first. The apostles had to learn who Jesus was by walking
with him, eating with him, watching him pray, seeing him love. This is exactly
what we do when we pray the Rosary. Each mystery invites us to be with Jesus
and Mary, to enter into the scenes of the Gospel and walk alongside them. When
we meditate on the Joyful Mysteries, we're with Mary as she says yes to God's
call. In the Sorrowful Mysteries, we stand at the foot of the cross with John,
the beloved disciple, who was one of these twelve. The Rosary isn't just
reciting prayers, it's accepting Jesus's invitation to be with him, to let him
form our hearts the way he formed the hearts of those first apostles on the
mountain.
Notice too that Jesus gave Simon a new name: Peter, the rock. God doesn't just
call us as we are and leave us there. He transforms us. He sees who we can
become through his grace. Peter would deny Jesus three times, yet Jesus still
entrusted him with the keys to the kingdom. James and John, the "sons of
thunder," would learn gentleness. Even Judas was called and loved, though
he would tragically choose betrayal. Every single one of us is a mixture of
faithfulness and weakness, just like the Twelve. But Jesus calls us anyway. And
when we respond, when we stay close to him, especially through prayer like the
Rosary where we walk through his life again and again, he slowly shapes us into
who we were always meant to be.
The apostles didn't earn their calling, and neither do we. But they did have to
respond. They had to leave their nets, their tax booth, their old lives. They
had to climb that mountain when Jesus summoned them. We have the same choice
every day. Jesus is still calling people by name to be with him and to be sent
out to bring his love to a world that desperately needs it. The Rosary keeps us
tethered to that call, reminding us daily of who Jesus is and what he's done
for us. As we meditate on the mysteries of his life, death, and resurrection,
we're being formed as his disciples just as surely as those twelve men were
formed on the dusty roads of Galilee. The question isn't whether Jesus is
calling you. He is. The question is: will you climb the mountain?
Questions to Consider:
- When have I heard Jesus call me by name in my own
life, and how did I respond?
- Am I more focused on doing things for Jesus, or on
simply being with him in prayer and relationship?
- Which of the apostles do I relate to most, and
what does that reveal about my own strengths and weaknesses?
- How might praying the Rosary regularly help me
hear and respond to God's personal call in my life?
- What "nets" or old patterns might Jesus
be asking me to leave behind so I can follow him more closely?
- Do I trust that Jesus can transform my weaknesses
into strengths, the way he transformed Peter's impulsiveness into
steadfast leadership?
©2026 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
