The Holy Martyr Mamas; Our Venerable Father John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople.
2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5; Mark 3:13-19.
Read Mark 3:13-19
Jesus sent out His apostles to preach and cast out demons. In Matthew’s gospel, the names of the apostles are given in pairs, and Mark’s gospel explicitly says that Jesus “began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits” (Mk. 6:7). They went out to minister as partners, and they were all united in discipleship to Christ. Clergy today should also experience support and brotherhood with one another, united in their mission and discipleship to Christ.
Fellowship and community are important for all Christians, not only the clergy. Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20). The word translated as “church” in the New Testament is the Greek word ekklesia, which means “assembly.” When God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He didn’t save just one or two people; He saved them as a community. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He did not do so to save just one or two people; He saves us as a community. Let us remember that our fellow Christians are truly our “brothers and sisters” in Christ. God is our Father, and we are a family.