Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today, we gather in sacred joy to celebrate the Synaxis of the Twelve Holy Apostles, those blessed men whom our Lord Jesus Christ called from the labor of this world to the work of the Kingdom of Heaven. These are the pillars of the Church, the foundation upon which our Lord established His Body, sending them forth to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
In their calling, we see the wisdom and providence of God, for He did not choose the mighty of the world, nor the learned scribes, nor those esteemed by men. Instead, He chose fishermen, tax collectors, and simple men of humble heart. He filled them with the power of the Holy Spirit and made them bearers of divine truth, showing that the power of the Gospel does not rest in human wisdom but in the grace of God.
Consider the words of our Lord: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). With these words, He called them from their boats and their nets, not only to forsake their worldly labor but to embrace a greater toil—the labor of preaching, the casting of the net of faith into the sea of the nations. Through their obedience, the Church was born, and through their preaching, the nations were illumined.
Each apostle bore witness in his way, traveling to the far corners of the earth, enduring suffering, persecution, and even martyrdom for the sake of Christ. Saint Peter, the chief among them, was crucified in Rome. Saint Paul, the untiring missionary, bore chains and was beheaded. Saint Andrew preached in Greece, Saint Thomas in India, and Saint John the Theologian in Ephesus. Every one of them suffered, yet their voices did not cease, for their word lives on in the Holy Scriptures and the life of the Church.
Their holy example calls to us even today, urging us to be witnesses of Christ in our own time. We may not be called to distant lands, but we are all called to proclaim the Gospel by our lives—through love, humility, and steadfast faith. The apostolic mission continues in each of us, for we too are called to be fishers of men, bringing others to the truth and the life that is in Christ.
O Holy Apostles, you who now rejoice in the uncreated light of the Holy Trinity, intercede for us sinners, that we may be made worthy of the heavenly call and that the grace of God may be multiplied in our lives. Through your prayers, may we be faithful to the Gospel and bear fruit in the vineyard of the Lord.
To Christ our God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all glory, honor, and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
