Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
R./ Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R./ Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R./ Their message goes out through all the earth.
At this time Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. When day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them whom he called apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.
We Are No Longer Strangers
The word “no longer” suggests that we once were strangers—that we were like immigrants who have now become citizens. But this goes far beyond any talk about immigration or legal documents. The adoption spoken of here is something much deeper—it’s not about paperwork, but about a real change of substance. It’s not just that we are no longer guests or outsiders in a good household; it’s that we have become the very stones that make up the house itself. We are now full members of the family, built stone upon stone as the dwelling place of God.
Just like the twelve apostles—who represent the new tribes of Israel and the pillars of the Church—we, too, have been called by name: Simon, Judas, Thaddeus… To be called by name is not only a sign of dignity and recognition; it also carries a deep commitment. It’s the same as our baptismal calling, which commits us to God’s mission: to work and struggle so that there will be no more strangers, but more living stones in this vast and beautiful building that is God’s temple.
Parents register their newborn children and give them a name and a family name. That’s what it means to be built up—to be joined together with others, sometimes supporting from below, sometimes rising like towers. We are all part of the same family and called by name. But a name alone isn’t enough—it needs to be followed by the family name, the one we share with our brothers, cousins, and all who belong to the same household. In the same way, a single stone is useless by itself. The bricks must fit together to form the magnificent building that is the house of God.
No one is saved outside the family, outside God’s house. We need to have a name—we need to be a stone in that building. And we will never be left outside the house, because we are the house itself.
Carmen Fernández AguinacoLittle is know about these apostles. The nickname "Zealot" probably indicates the Simon had been among the anti-Roman activists before he became an apostle. Jude, brother of James and also called Thaddeus, asked Jesus after the Last Supper how Jesus could show himself to the world as Messiah without using force. Jesus answered him that the believers would accept him because of his love.
Lord our God,
as we celebrate your apostles Simon and Jude,
we remember how your Son could build his Church
on weak and fallible people
and make these its firm foundations.
We pray with your Son
that our faith may remain unshaken
in your Church and in those who lead it.
As they struggle and grope,
let your Spirit fill them
with his wisdom and his fire.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
- For the pope, that he may lead the Church in faith, wisdom and mercy, we pray:
- For our bishops, that united with the pope they may see and attend to the great needs of the Church in our day, we pray:
- For those who are afraid to answer the call of God to follow Christ to serve the people of God, we pray:
Lord our God,
in the name of Jesus, your Son,
your ministers and people offer to you
the memorial of his death and resurrection.
Let us, sinful as we are, be your holy people,
that we may bear witness to your name
and be a believable sign to all
that your Son lives
and that you are our mighty God and Father,
now and for ever.
Holy God and Father,
to us, your people on the way,
you have let your Son speak to us
his uplifting, inspiring word
and give us his food of strength.
Renew your Church in its leaders and members,
that we may live as we believe
and raise in our world a prophetic voice
that speaks with credibility
of justice, truth and unity.
May thus the world believe in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus entrusts his own mission to weak and fallible human hand. "Entrusts," for he trusts them enough. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can do God's work. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
