Throughout the gospels both apostles and disciples are mentioned. There are many disciples and some apostles. A disciple is one who is a student. One who is learning from Jesus. An apostle is one who is sent out. Jesus sends out the apostles. Everyone who followed Jesus was a disciple but only some were called as apostles. The 12 named followers of Jesus that we often think of are called apostles. But there are other apostles outside of the 12 such as Mary Magedlene. Each apostle is named as honoring who they are. They each come from a variety of backgrounds. Some were tax collectors, Jews, fishermen, Gentiles, etc. Each of them was called by Jesus in their uniqueness just as each of us are called in our uniqueness. – Vicar John Augustine
