20 January 1989
Porto, Portugal

My dear Confreres,

For a number of years now the passage from St. Mark's Gospel to which we have listened, has impressed two truths on my mind each time I reflect on it. The first truth is this: in this morning's Gospel St. Mark gives us the reasons why Our Lord chose the twelve Apostles who were to be His close friends and collaborators. He chose them so that they could be with Him, so that they could have power over evil spirits, and so that they could go out and preach and make Jesus Christ's message known. What is interesting for us is the first reason which St. Mark gives for the choice of the twelve Apostles. Jesus chose these men so that they could be with Him.

That is very important for all of us who have received a special vocation from God. Certainly He has chosen us to do some special work for Him during our lives. But the first reason He has chosen us is so that we can be with Him, so that we can be His special friends. Good friends share everything. So before we think of serving the needy and the poor, we must share everything with Jesus Christ. In practice that means that we spend time with Him in prayer, talking to Him about everything that is in our minds and hearts, and also being ready to sit silently in His presence, so that by His Holy Spirit He can speak to us about His love and His concern for us. We must seek Jesus Christ in prayer, before we go out to seek Him in the poor. For the twelve apostles, casting out devils and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ was important, but it was more important still that they keep close to Jesus Christ and that they share everything with Him.

Second, I am sure you noticed how St. Mark gives us the names of all the Apostles. We can be certain that Jesus Christ called each of them by his name. Often reflect on the fact that Our Lord has called us by name to the Church and to our Community. Jesus Christ would like us to reflect often on the words of the prophet Isaiah,in which he tells us that the names of God's friends are written on the palm of God's hand. When you have grasped something with your hand, it is very close to you. God has grasped us by His hand, but He did not stop at that. He has engraved our names in His hand and in His heart. Each of us matters enormously to Him, however small and insignificant we may feel ourselves to be in this great world.

I recall some years ago an English Cardinal appearing on British television. He was being interviewed by a non-Catholic man who always used his skills to put awkward questions to the prominent people whom he invited to undergo an interview of forty-five minutes. The program was immensely popular and watched by millions of people. Part of the attraction of the program was that it was possible to see very closely the reactions of the interviewee to the questions put by the interviewer. Cardinal Heenan was asked by the interviewer which point of Catholic teaching he found hardest to accept. The interviewer was hoping that he would say, perhaps, Humanae Vitae, Papal infallibility or the Assumption of Our Lady. When the Cardinal was asked the question, he paused for a moment and then he replied: "The point of Catholic teaching which I find hardest to accept is that God should be concerned about me." It was a brilliant reply and one which was totally unexpected by the interviewer.

I think it is important that we often reflect on the fact that Jesus Christ is always thinking of us as individuals. In recent years we have been asked to think about the social responsibilities which flow from our celebration of the Eucharist. However, we must never forget that we receive all the Sacraments as individuals. We were baptized as individuals; we were confirmed as individuals; we are fed one by one with the Body and Blood of Christ every day. When we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we do so normally as individuals, and when we will receive, please God, the Sacrament of the Sick, we will receive it as individuals. We need to reflect often on the fact that we are loved personally by Jesus Christ. To each of us He still says: "I know mine and mine know Me." (Jn 10:14).

I seem to have come to the end of this homily without making any reference to St. Vincent. The person of Jesus Christ was everything to Him. The Rule of the Mission, he said, was Jesus Christ. Here are his celebrated words: "Remember, Monsieur, we live in Jesus Christ through the death of Jesus Christ and we must die in Jesus Christ through the life of Jesus Christ, and our life must be hidden in Jesus Christ and filled with Jesus Christ, and in order to die as Jesus Christ, we must live as Jesus Christ. (Coste I, Eng. ed., ltr. 197, p. 276).

Let us not forget that the great monument of his works for the poor can be said to have been built on his priesthood, which according to the Vatican Council Decree on Priestly Formation, is at the heart of the Renewal in the Church of today. "The wish for renewal of the whole Church," declares Vatican Council II, "in great part depends on the priestly ministry, animated by the Spirit of Christ." (Introduction to Decree on Priestly Formation).