As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ. (Col 2:6-15)
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Lk 6:12-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091223.cfm
There have always been those who want to divide the church, which is why we get this warning from the Letter to the Colossians to stay rooted in Christ. In the gospel Jesus gives us a sure foundation as he names his Apostles, of whom Simon Peter is the first. The church would do well to stick with the successor of Saint Peter. The celebration of the Most Holy Name of Mary reminds us that the Lord calls each one of us by name.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Most Holy Name of Mary, September 12
