Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

In Matthew’s gospel read today,  Jesus calls twelve disciples– also called twelve apostles– because he has compassion for the crowds. They are like sheep without a shepherd,  a field waiting for the harvest.  His disciples will extend Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing revealed in previous sections of the gospel. 

Matthew’s gospel consistently notes Jesus’ compassion for the crowds. As they flock to the mountain from everywhere, where they have been scattered and abandoned,  Jesus  teaches them. Matthew follows the Sermon on the Mount with ten stories of healing that Jesus performs as he descends from the mountain. They also reveal his compassion for them.

As he calls twelve to follow him, teaching and healing,  does he not also call them to be compassionate as he was?

We should not limit the call of Jesus to teach and to heal to the twelve named in our gospel today. The twelve represent the twelve tribes of Israel who are called as a holy people to follow  God as his covenanted people. In the call of the twelve disciples we hear our own call.

Some like Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, will have positions of leadership among his followers, but all his disciples have gifts from teaching and healing. 

What are the gifts we have? Another question. Have we compassion for the world we live in?