2nd Week in Ordinary Time (C) : Friday 24th January 2025

God renews our vision of Him. And His regard of us. The Letter to the Hebrews reiterates the Lord’s promising echo, “I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Indeed, God schools the wandering and the meandering minded Jewish people from mere external covenantal obligations to conviction of the promise at heart.

Jesus calls the twelve Apostles into His school of discipleship. They were not heirs to the Davidic dynasty bloodline. They did not even match the impressive categories of our secular standard of leadership. At the last hour, they even denied Jesus and deserted Him. To our biased judgement, their characters range from foolhardy, cowardly and dishonest. Could Jesus not have chosen far superior men to be His circle of close disciples?

Here is the point, the promising power of God must have a visible transformation of characters that edify and convince people. Except for Judas Iscariot, the eleven turned from unbelievable weaklings to pillars of faith as our apostolic Fathers. Are we rectified in our self-judgement? We should never look down on ourselves, saying we are unfit. Perhaps, we should rephrase our reflection – are we flawed enough to be Jesus’ disciples? For Paul has discovered that ‘it is only when I am weak that I am strong’ because of the grace of God.

Lord, Your promise is my hope. Help me never to rely on my weakness but to trust Your sustaining grace.