Gospel (Lk 6,12-19) - In those days, Jesus went to the mountain to pray and spent the whole night praying to God. When it was day, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, to whom he also gave the name of apostles: Simon, to whom he also gave the name of Peter; Andrea, his brother; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas; James, son of Alphaeus; Simon, called Zealot; Judah, son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor. Having descended with them, he stopped in a flat place. There was a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, from Jerusalem and from the coast of Tire and Sidon, who had come to listen to him and be healed of their illnesses; even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were healed. The whole crowd tried to touch him, because a strength came out of him that healed everyone.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

In the Gospels we know the vocation of five of the Twelve Apostles, but we know nothing about the vocation of the other seven. This gospel scene could be said to fill the gap. Jesus chooses his closest collaborators, those who will help him in announcing the Gospel. The initiative comes, however, from the Father. Jesus, in fact, does nothing without the Father. That's why, before making this decision, he spends the whole night in prayer. For Jesus, and even more so for every Christian community, prayer is at the origin of every choice, of every action. We could say that prayer is the first work that Jesus does, the one that is at the foundation of all the others. This must be the case for the life of every Christian community. When morning came, Jesus called those he wanted to his side, one by one, by his name. He gives us a new name, that is, a new heart, a new task, a new story. Simon is called Peter, that is, rock, foundation. Jesus calls each disciple to build a new world with a particular task. The new name he receives is the sign of the new life he is called to live.