Jesus Commissions the Eleven [May 20, 2012]

The Sunday Gospel [Solemnity of Our Lord’s Ascension - May 20, 2012]

Mark 16:15-20

15He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.17These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages.18They 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.”
19So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 20But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. 

Reflection

 “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” ~ Jesus in v. 15

What a simple, but immense, charge Jesus gave to his disciples! He even told them that those who accepted their message would be saved, while those who didn’t would be condemned.

Imagine their reaction: Really, Lord? We’re just fishermen. You can’t expect us to go out and save the whole human race! But Jesus made this a win-win situation. He did send his apostles out to preach and convert the world, but he didn’t send them alone. He made it so that people would be baptized not on the basis of his disciple’s preaching skills but in response to his own grace at work in their hearts. As the twelve became more open to the Spirit, grace would flow more powerfully. Yes, they had to become good at preaching, but they knew that God was even better.

Likewise, the more open we are to God, the more his grace will flow to us. This is part of the wonder of the Christian life: God takes every “yes!” Every time we sit in his presence in prayer, he fill us even more of his presence to take into the world. It does take effort on our part, but that human effort is so small when compared to the divine strength that accompanies it. Just as Mary’s “yes” to the angel Gabriel set in motion the biggest change in human history, our “yes” to the Lord will cause a chain reaction far beyond our expectations.

On this Feast of the Ascension, let’s rejoice with the saints who have come before us, and let’s commit ourselves to preaching to the saints who will come after us. None of the apostles could have guessed how far their “yes” to Jesus would take them – or how much fruit they would bear for the kingdom. And neither can we. There is much work left to be done, but our God is with us, and his promises are true.

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).