THE APOSTLES June 14, 2026

Today’s Gospel clearly shows the compassion of Christ our Lord in His appointment of the twelve Apostles. It was because He saw the crowds of people who thronged to hear Him as “harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd” that He told His disciples, that “the harvest is great but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into His harvest.”

     It is only after this exhortation to His followers to pray that He Himself takes action. His action is itself a response to prayer. We see that He will not act until He has first galvanised His followers into the need for prayer to deal with this great and urgent pastoral need. He summons the twelve closest of His disciples and gives them special powers which properly belong to Himself. These powers are all designed to assist the people in their needs, both spiritual and bodily.

     Christ gives the twelve the title “Apostle”, meaning “one who is sent forth”. In another place in the Gospel, He explains this choice of title: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you”. Their mission (a word which means “sending forth”) is to be exactly a replica of His own. They are to be in a sense the continuation of His presence in the midst of all. They are to bring His relief, comfort and salvation to those who would otherwise be lost in sin, despair and death.

     So, what are the powers Christ gives the Twelve Apostles? First in order is “authority over unclean spirits”. This is very significant. What we can fail to recognise after two thousand years of Christianity is the total grip over humanity which satan exercised until Christ came. Of course, we see the results of satan’s influence over humanity still causing destruction, but we can be fooled into thinking that it is purely human malice that creates this darkness and death-dealing despair.                  ~ Fr. Paul Dobson.