Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will
be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they
will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up
serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm
them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the
Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat
at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while
the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. (Mark
16:15-20)
Introductory Prayer: Lord, allow me to give this moment of prayer priority
over all my other concerns. Holy Mary, you remained with the apostles when
Jesus went up to heaven; help me to raise my mind and heart to him.
Petition: Lord, help me to be an apostle of your kingdom.
1. God’s Paradoxical Plan of
Salvation. Jesus
ascends into heaven, but before he does, he leaves his disciples a mission. He
assigns them the task of building up his Church. Maybe we are so accustomed to
the story that it no longer astonishes us –– but it is truly incredible. These
were the same men who just a few weeks earlier had abandoned Christ and locked
themselves up in a room out of fear. Humanly speaking anyone would have bet a
good deal that their mission was doomed to prompt and certain failure –– yet
here we are two thousand years later! I too am called by Christ to spread my
faith, and if I ever feel that I am not the best qualified for this mission, I
just have to remember that my Captain is sitting at the right hand of the
Father directing the whole operation.
2. Signs of God’s Providence. Time and time again throughout
history, Our Lord has shown signs of his power at work in his Church to
strengthen our faith. Extraordinary miracles have always accompanied the
preaching of the Gospel right up to our own day. Devils are still driven out,
and many sick are still being cured in the most extraordinarily unexplainable
ways. The greatest miracle of all however is the miracle of Christ’s continued
presence with us in the Eucharist and the conversion of heart that takes place
in the sacrament of reconciliation. God is constantly at work for his people.
Even when he doesn’t grant us astonishing signs, he does shower countless signs
of his providence upon us every day.
3. The Lord at Work. The key to success in the mission of
being a witness to Christ and his Gospel is found in letting God work. Like the
first apostles we have to cast our nets where the Lord directs us. So many
times pride and human ambition have stood in the way of God’s plan. We don’t have
to be anything special to work for the Lord; all we need to do is to follow his
direction. What great quality do we really possess anyway that is not a gift
from God and his already? Am I confident that the Lord is already at work in
me? Do I recognize the signs of his provident love in my life, and do I thank
him for them?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus help me to understand
that being an apostle is not an option, but a demand of my baptism. It is the
way I can respond to the immense love you have shown to me. Please continue to
work in my life.
Resolution: I will pause before I go to bed and reflect on the
signs of God’s providence in my life, thanking him for them.
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