VATICAN - At his general Wednesday audience Pope Benedict XVI makes an appeal for World TB Day and reflects on “the Apostles witnesses and envoys of Christ”

Vatican City (Fides Service)- During his Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square on 22 March Pope Benedict XVI made the following appeal: “The day after tomorrow, 24 March, United Nations World TB Day to stop Tuberculosis is an opportunity to encourage greater efforts at the global level to make available the necessary resources to treat these brothers and sisters of ours many of whom live in situations of extreme poverty. I encourage initiatives of assistance and solidarity for them and hope they will all be guaranteed dignified living conditions”.
In his teaching to thousands of visitors from many different countries the Pope reflected on “the Apostles witnesses and envoys of Christ”. “In the Letter to the Ephesians” the Pope said “the Church is presented to us as a building constructed on the “foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Jesus Christ as the corner stone” (2,29). In the Book of Revelation the role of the Apostles, and more specifically the Twelve, is explained in an escatalogical vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, presented as a city whose walls “rest on twelve foundations on which are written the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb” (21,14)”.
The Holy Father spoke of the calling of the first apostles: “The Gospels reports concord that the calling of the apostles marked the first steps of Jesus’ ministry after he had been baptised by John the Baptist in the waters of the River Jordan. According to Mark (1, 16-20) and Matthew (4, 18-22), the scene of the calling of the first apostles was the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has just started preaching the Kingdom of God when he sees two pairs of brothers: Simon and Andrew, James and John. They are fishermen going about their daily work. They throw out their nets and haul them in again. But another sort of fishing awaits them. Jesus calls them with decision and they follow him with readiness: henceforth they will be “fishers of men” (cfr Mk 1,17; Mt 4,19). Luke while following the same tradition has a more detailed story (5,1-11)”.
The Pope said Luke’s account “shows how the first disciples grow in the faith explaining that their calling comes after they have listened to Jesus’ first preaching and witnessed his first miraculous signs. The miraculous catch of fish is the immediate context and provides the symbol of the mission entrusted to them to be fishers of men. From now on the destiny of these men who are “called” will be closely connected with that of Jesus. Before being an envoy the apostle is an “expert” on Jesus. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/3/2006 righe 37 parole 462)