Gospel (Mt 10,1-7) - At that time, having called his twelve disciples to him, Jesus gave them power over impure spirits to drive them away and heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are: first, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot, the one who then betrayed him. These are the Twelve that Jesus sent, ordering them: «Do not go among the pagans and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans; turn instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach, saying that the kingdom of heaven is near."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

From compassion for the crowds, tired and exhausted, comes the call of the Twelve and the delivery of the evangelical mission. Without this bond we would not understand the meaning of our calling and would easily end up reducing it to a role, to a sacrifice. Jesus chooses twelve, as many as the tribes of Israel, as if to say that no one should be left without the announcement of the Gospel. The evangelist reports the names of the twelve Apostles. There are Greeks next to Jews; men from the north and others from the south; simple fishermen together with members of the revolutionary party of the Zealots (Simon the Canaanite), followers of the Baptist (James and John) and publicans (Matthew). It is a heterogeneous group in which territorial origin and ideological militancy take second place. What matters is adherence to Jesus and obedience to his Word; these two dimensions constitute their new identity. They are no longer recognized and pointed out as the publican, the zealot, the fisherman, but rather as those who are with the Nazarene. Everyone, as happens with Simone, receives a new name, that is, a new mission and a new power. It is a real power, a real force of change, which does not come from money, bags, tunics, or things of the earth: it is the power of limitless love that comes from above and that Jesus witnesses first. This first evangelical mission is emblematic for every Christian generation: there is no other path for Jesus' disciples.