Apostolic knowledge

It’s striking how little we actually know about the lives of the 12 apostles. We don’t know all that much about them, other than that they were called by Jesus and accompanied him in his life and preached his message after the Resurrection.

That in itself is a lesson in right perspective. The apostles were not promoting. They were preaching. Their focus was on Jesus, not on themselves. They practiced humility.

I understand humility to mean looking at life with the correct perspective. I’m reminded of the story of the widow’s mite. The Pharisee in the story praises himself for donating a large amount to the Temple and denigrates a poor widow who donates a few small coins.

The Pharisee was saying, “See how important I am.” The widow was saying, “See how important you, God, are.” Jesus justifies the widow but condemns the Pharisee. Correct perspective. Humility. It’s that correct perspective that allows us to enter fully into a life-giving relationship with the Spirit of Christ.