The Apostolic Election

I have to say that the Gospel of today's Mass (Mark 1:14-20) is very striking regarding the grandeur and authority of the Apostolic College of which this text recounts the inception.

Our Lord said "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" to his select apostles who would be his chief ministers throughout his public ministry and to which he would entrust the selection of others to continue their line and to rule the Church upon His departure from this world and Whom He would especially guide and accompany upon His resurrection return and on Pentecost and beyond with the Paraclete Whom He would send.

Our Blessed Lord chose just a few men and only to them said "I will make you fishers of men."

N. B. The ubiquitous "Pescador" song which assumes that all of us are equally called by Christ to be fishers of men is, therefore, heretical. All Christians are called to evangelize, but Christ, throughout the Gospels deliberately associates Himself exclusively with twelve men who would be His special disciples essentially different from everyone else. He told only them that they would be catching men. Because, essentially, it is the sacramental ministry that catches men for God (i.e. it's God who catches them!): it's the work of God through the sacraments that claims men for God: baptism, confirmation, communion, confession, extreme unction, holy orders and holy matrimony, all of which properly come through the hands of the priest.

The fishers of men by divine commission were the twelve, which is very clear throughout the Gospels, and indeed the entire New Testament: they were to be and to ordain the episcopoi, presbyteroi and diaconoi: bishops, priests and deacons, as there continue to be in our own day to the glory and exaltation of Holy Mother Church: the Catholic Church, even unto the end of time!

And, please notice, in all four Gospels, Simon (Peter) is always the first to be called by Christ (and in the last Gospel (John 1:42) Christ changes Simon's name to Rock right then and there: you are Cephas [Petrus])! Saint Peter is always first because there is a Pope, a head, in that body of leaders, as ordained by Christ!

Christ spent his three years of public ministry, preaching and teaching and sanctifying, confirming his teaching with miracles, and, don't forget it, forming the body of men who would lead the Church in His stead until the end of time: the apostolic college (the college of Catholic bishops).

Thanks be to God!