Why are we so obsessed with knowing everything? If we hear a little bit of gossip, we clamor to find out more. The advertising world knows this. That is why they release dribbles of information to pique our interest and keep us wanting more. It is also what drives many people to constantly question when Jesus Christ will return to earth. People present themselves as "prophets" to proclaim that they know when the world will end. They tell us that Jesus is coming on a certain date. But the scriptures are very clear on this matter. Jesus himself tells us in Acts of the Apostles 1:6-8, So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth." Now Jesus tells us to have faith and believe without seeing. He told us everything we needed to know to live a good life, filled with His grace given freely. It is nothing we need to earn but it is something we should protect. We should strive to live like Jesus did when he was on earth. That is what we should be focused on. That is the difficult path we are asked to walk. How do we transform this world? By living everyday like Jesus did. We must love each other. We must treat each other with kindness. We must not kill, lie or cheat. It sounds simple but putting it into practice is difficult. There is an interesting book out now called The One. The main premise that the author proposes is to find the one thing you will be good at and focus all of your energies on that one thing. Shouldn't that be living a Christ-like life? It will take all of your effort but the reward is certainly worth it.
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...