"It doesn't matter who you are,
It doesn't matter who ya wanna be,
'Cause it all ends in the yard,
That's where the dyin' is the place to be.
"You can't take it when you're gone,
You can't take it past the walls of sleep,
Better that you pass it on,
Money is the rich man's misery…"
"I left my body and I went on a journey,
And I forgot where I left my body…"
"I left my body and right away I knew I made a mistake,
I left without my senses and I can't see anything,
Can't see anything.
I'm waiting endlessly on the receptionist at the desk,
I'm searching high and low, but I don't see anyone,
Don't see anyone,
Don't see anyone there."
"And then I saw her standing there
With green eyes and long blonde hair,
She wasn't wearing underwear,
At least I prayed that she might be the one,
Maybe we'd have some fun,
Maybe we'd watch the sun rise,
But that night I learned some girls try too hard!
"Da-na-na, da-na-na, da-na-na,
Some girls try too hard!
Da-na-na, da-na-na, da-na-na,
And some girls try too hard to impress
With the way that they dress,
With those things on their chests,
And the things they suggest…
"So when you see her standing there
With green eyes and long blonde hair,
She won't be wearing underwear,
And you'll discover this girl's not the one
And she'll never be fun,
You should just turn and run
Because you'll find out some girls try too hard!…"
Friends, today’s Gospel recounts Jesus selecting and appointing the Apostles. Bible scholar and theologian N.T. Wright has explained why Jesus commissioned twelve disciples as Apostles.Video reflection by Deacon Clarence McDavid (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
Wright tells us that when a first-century Jew spoke of the arrival of God’s kingdom, he was taken to mean something very specific. He was announcing that the temple was going to be restored, that the proper worship of Yahweh would obtain, that the enemies of Israel would be dealt with, and that, above all, the tribes of the Lord—and through them, the tribes of the world—would be gathered.
Recall the great vision from the second chapter of Isaiah: "The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain…. All nations shall stream toward it." This is why Jesus chose twelve disciples, evocative of the twelve tribes. They would be the prototype and the catalyst for the gathering of Israel and hence the gathering of everyone. They would be the fundamental community and sign of unity.
"I'm a clone,
I know it and I'm fine,
I'm one and more are on the way…
"I'm all alone, so are we all,
We're all clones,
All are one and one are all,
All are one and one are all.
"We destroyed the government,
We're destroying time,
No more problems on the way…"
"Oh, you can hold me tight,
But you cannot go with me into the light
When it's my time to go,
But I'm not afraid 'cause I know that—
"Jesus never leaves me,
Jesus never leaves me,
What more do I need?…
"Oh, well, I held on tight,
But I couldn't do nothing when it's your time to go.
I can't make you stay,
But I know that I'll be O.K. because—
"Jesus never leaves me,
Jesus never leaves me,
What more do I need?
"Oh, I will soon be home
And I'll never lose anyone ever again.
"Oh, I'm not really alone,
And the strength that I have now is sure not my own,
'Cause all mine is gone.
The thing that keeps me holding on is that—
"Jesus never leaves me,
Jesus never leaves me,
What more do I need?
Yeah!
Jesus never leaves me,
Jesus never leaves me,
What more do I need?"
"Be contemplative, love prayer; be coherent with your faith & generous in the service of your brothers & sisters, be active members of the Church & builders of peace."
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He Who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise."
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"Do not be afraid! Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure."
—Pope Saint John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005, feast: 22 October)
"…It was like a parade at forty miles an hour,
And the pope zipped past in his see-through car,
And we laughed and we waved and I think he smiled,
It all happened so fast, all the people were chanting:
'John Paul Two, we love you!'…"
"Hope expands the heart, increases courage, & lovingly places us in the Hands of God."
—Saint Paul of the Cross, C.P. (1694-1775, feast: 20 October)
"Hey, don't write yourself off yet,
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just try your best, try everything you can,
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.
"It just takes some time,
Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride,
Everything, everything will be just fine,
Everything, everything will be alright, alright…
"Hey, don't write yourself off yet,
It's only in your head you feel left out (feel left out) or looked down on.
Just do your best (Just do your best), do everything you can (Do everything you can),
And don't you worry what the bitter hearts (Bitter hearts) are gonna say…"
"Al said goodbye to his mom and dad
For the first time in his life.
Tonight, he left the house and
Walked to the waiting car outside.
Yeah, somehow he thought they'd never understand
That nothing lasts,
And he just knows that time is just spinning by
And life is passing him by so fast.
"And sometimes I think
I'm the only one who feels like going nowhere's like giving up,
Sometimes I think
I'm the only one who feels like going.
"Al said to me a few days ago
That he just thought for the first time in his life,
He feels that the last few years
Were only a waste of time (only a waste of time)!
Yes, it was always a compromise
Of what he always felt inside.
His declaration
Under the orange street light.
And sometimes I think,
I'm the only one who feels like going nowhere's like giving up.
Sometimes I think
I'm the only one who feels like going.
Yeah-ah!
"He was the one who always did the right things,
He was the one who would always
listen to everything they say.
But today, he's never going back. (Woah-oh-oh)
"And nobody said,
That there would be days like these,
There'd be days like these,
There'd be days…"
