Help Wanted: Apostle

Imagine if Christ had written a help wanted ad for the job of Apostle. What qualities and qualifications might he have sought? How might the interview have gone for those brave and interested enough to apply?

What if you had viewed the final candidates? I am fairly certain most of us would have stood shocked and disappointed by the motley crew Christ assembled. In appearance alone they lacked the "it" factor we all crave. A bunch of burly fisherman, a tax collector, and a zealot don't fit the traditional image of chosen men.

I often wonder how this group of followers would fair in our world today. We pride ourselves in being "good judges of character" and "knowledgeable consumers." Judging people by their background, appearance, and performance seems to be woven into our culture. Recently it has even come to monopolize our choice of entertainment. How many one-liners can you recite that nightly judge and disqualify hopeful and/or desperate contestants? (You've been chopped, you've been eliminated from the race, you're not the Biggest Loser, pack your knives and go . . .)

We are constantly judging each other. But in truth, our vision is clouded.

Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

This is exactly what Jesus did in choosing his twelve. Their outward appearance and past mistakes did not exclude them from God's call. Through his divinity, Jesus saw in those men not what they were but what they could become.

There is a beautiful intercession that is sometimes prayed at Mass, especially at funerals. It goes something like this,

"We pray for all those whose faith is known to God alone."

I love this prayer because it is a constant reminder that we don't have all the answers. We can never really know the heart of another. Because of this, we are often mistaken and misguided in how we see people. In the end, it's not for us to judge. We are merely human and judging is a divine right.

Only God's eyes can see our deeper truth. Take comfort in the knowledge that He alone knows who you are and sees who you can become.