Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul,
Apostle
Lectionary: 519
Lectionary: 519
Paul addressed the people in these words:
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
"On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
I replied, 'Who are you, sir?'
And he said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, 'What shall I do, sir?'
The Lord answered me, 'Get up and go into Damascus,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.'
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.'
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
'The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.'"
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
"On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
I replied, 'Who are you, sir?'
And he said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.'
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, 'What shall I do, sir?'
The Lord answered me, 'Get up and go into Damascus,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.'
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.'
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
'The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.'"
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said,
"Is not this the man who in Jerusalem
ravaged those who call upon this name,
and came here expressly to take them back in chains
to the chief priests?"
But Saul grew all the stronger
and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,
proving that this is the Christ.
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, AAnanias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
All who heard him were astounded and said,
"Is not this the man who in Jerusalem
ravaged those who call upon this name,
and came here expressly to take them back in chains
to the chief priests?"
But Saul grew all the stronger
and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,
proving that this is the Christ.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 117:1BC, 2
R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE JN 15:16
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
"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."
"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."
Meditation: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel"
Do
you believe that the Gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ - has power to set
people free from sin, ignorance, and disbelief? At the end of Mark's Gospel
account he tells us that the Lord Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins,
and who rose on the third day to give us new life, now commissions his apostles
to carry on the work and mission which he accomplished. Just before his
departure to return to his Father in heaven, Jesus tells his apostles to
"proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation" - to every person,
village, and nation throughout the world. Jesus gives to his followers the task
and mission to carry on the work which he accomplished for us - to bring the
light and truth of the Gospel to all.
The
Gospel is the power of God that sets us free and brings us new life in Jesus
Christ
Jesus' departure and ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven was both an end and a new beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan. When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' departure and ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven was both an end and a new beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan. When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus'
last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to
be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim
the good news of salvation to all the world. Their task is to proclaim the good
news of salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations.
God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it
is for the whole world - for all who will accept it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
is the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to set people free
from the destructive force of evil and oppression, and to restore life. Do you
believe in the power of the Gospel?
The
Risen Lord Jesus works in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit
This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord Jesus works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission to every land and people. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection to everlasting life with God in his kingdom?
This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord Jesus works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission to every land and people. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection to everlasting life with God in his kingdom?
The
conversion of Paul the Apostle
Many Christians celebrate today the conversion of St. Paul who became an apostle to the Gentile nations. Paul testified how he first opposed the Gospel and persecuted Christians, but was converted when Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:3-16). Paul's encounter with the person of Christ radically changed his life and opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. Benedict XVI reflects on the significance of Paul's conversion for the whole Christian people:
Many Christians celebrate today the conversion of St. Paul who became an apostle to the Gentile nations. Paul testified how he first opposed the Gospel and persecuted Christians, but was converted when Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 22:3-16). Paul's encounter with the person of Christ radically changed his life and opened his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. Benedict XVI reflects on the significance of Paul's conversion for the whole Christian people:
"Paul's
conversion matured in his encounter with the Risen Christ; it was this
encounter that radically changed his life. What happened to him on the road to
Damascus is what Jesus asks in today's Gospel: Saul is converted because,
thanks to the divine light, "he has believed in the Gospel". In this
consists his and our conversion: in believing in Jesus dead and risen and in
opening to the illumination of his divine grace. In that moment Saul understood
that his salvation did not depend on good works fulfilled according to the law,
but on the fact that Jesus died also for him the persecutor and has risen. This
truth by which every Christian life is enlightened thanks to Baptism completely
overturns our way of life. To be converted means, also for each one of us, to
believe that Jesus "has given himself for me", dying on the Cross
(cf. Galatians 2: 20) and, risen, lives with me and in me. Entrusting myself to
the power of his forgiveness, letting myself be taken by his hand, I can come
out of the quicksands of pride and sin, of deceit and sadness, of selfishness
and of every false security, to know and live the richness of his love."
(from address given
on January 25, 2009)
"Lord
Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable
spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your
resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your
glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the gospel and the reality
of your resurrection."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Our witness is trustworthy if we live
accordingly, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"For
[Paul] truly became a witness to [Jesus], and a witness as one should be, both
by what he did and by what he said. We too must be such witnesses and not
betray what we have been entrusted. I speak not only of doctrines, but also of
our way of life. Look, what he knew, what he heard, he bore witness to this
before all, and nothing hindered him. We too have heard that there is a
resurrection and ten thousand good things; therefore, we ought to bear witness
to this before all. 'We do in fact bear witness,' you say, 'and believe.' How,
since we do the opposite? Tell me, if someone should say he was a Christian but
should then apostatize and act like a Jew, would his testimony be sufficient?
No, not at all; for people would look for testimony through his actions.
Likewise, if we say that that there is a resurrection and ten thousand good
things but then look down upon them and prefer the things here, who will
believe us? For all people pay attention not to what we say but to what we do.
'You will be a witness,' [Christ] says, 'to all' (Acts 1:8). That is, not only
to the friends, but also to the unbelievers. For this is what witnesses are
for: they persuade not those who know but those who do not. Let us become
trustworthy witnesses. How will we become trustworthy? By the life we
lead." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 47)
FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, MARK 16:15-18
(Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Psalm 117)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, MARK 16:15-18
(Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Psalm 117)
KEY VERSE: "He said to them, `Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature'" (v 15).
TO KNOW: This section of chapter 16 of Mark's Gospel (verses 9-20) is termed the "Longer Ending." It is believed that this material was added later from other traditions to complete what was thought to be an abrupt ending to Mark's gospel. But Mark's purpose in writing was complete; Jesus was raised from the dead just as he told his followers. The longer ending includes material from other gospels: Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:1-18), and to two disciples on a road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-24). The disciples refused to believe these witnesses, and later, when they "were at table" (Mk 16:14, the Eucharist), the Lord appeared and rebuked them for their unbelief. Jesus then commissioned his followers to go into the world and proclaim the message of salvation to everyone (Mt 28:16–20).
TO LOVE: Is my life an open letter that others might read to meet the Lord?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to proclaim your gospel with the zeal of St. Paul.
FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF PAUL, APOSTLE
Paul (born, c.10, died, c.65) was the most prominent Christian missionary of the early church. Paul was born as Saul (his Jewish name) at Tarsus in Cilicia (modern Turkey, Acts 21:39), of a father who was a Roman citizen. Saul was a student of the Law, and a tent-maker by trade. He was a Pharisee who hated and persecuted Christians as heretical, even assisting at the stoning of Saint Stephen the Martyr. On his way to arrest Christians in Damascus, Paul experienced a vision of the risen Lord who told him that in persecuting Christians, he was persecuting Christ (Acts 9:3-5). The Lord then commissioned him to preach the Gospel. The experience had a profound spiritual effect on him, bringing about his conversion to Christianity. He was baptized, using his Roman name Paul to reflect his new vocation, and began traveling and preaching as an Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13, Galatians 2:8). Paul embarked on three missionary journeys, founding churches in many areas, and writing letters to encourage and correct those struggling communities. In the year 57 Paul was arrested and sent to Rome where he was imprisoned and beheaded during the Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians (67-68 CE). (According to Clement of Rome, Paul was released before this and evangelized in Spain and elsewhere). Paul is interred in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [Gal 2:19-20].
Friday 25 January 2019
The Conversion of St Paul.
Acts 22:3-16. Psalm 116(117):1-2. Mark 16:15-18.
Acts 22:3-16. Psalm 116(117):1-2. Mark 16:15-18.
Go out to all the world, and tell the Good
News – Psalm 116(117):1-2.
‘What am I to do, Lord?’
Paul’s dramatic conversion on the way to Damascus and his loving
reception among the Christian community were the antithesis of his earlier
trailblazing campaign. His introduction to the Way gave him a completely new
perspective on the Jesus he had been persecuting.
Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel concentrated on the love and
dedication of the Lord Jesus, even to his death on the cross. His experience of
the Risen Lord changed everything: ‘I pray that you may have the power to
comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge’ (Ephesians
3:18-19).
Saint of the Day for
January 25
Conversion of Saint
Paul
 |
| The Conversion on the Way to Damascus | Caravaggio |
The Story of the Conversion of Saint Paul
Saint Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of
one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant,
he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the
strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was
only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus
stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and
dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b).
Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one
goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument
to help others experience the one Savior.
One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the
loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he
saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.
From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in
Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power
working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you
in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much
conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a).
Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the
message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with
Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They
are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to
rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the
Spirit on them, making them completely new.
So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely
by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free,
personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in
more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.
Reflection
Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects
the rabbinical style of argument of his day, and often his thought skips on
mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by
the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in
our Christian language.
LECTIO DIVINA: CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL
Lectio Divina:
Friday, January 25, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of heaven and earth,
hear our prayers,
and show us the way to Your peace in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
hear our prayers,
and show us the way to Your peace in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "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."
3) Reflection
• The signs which accompany the proclamation or announcement of
the Good News. Jesus appears to the eleven disciples and reproaches them
because they had not believed the people who had seen Him risen. Once again,
Mark refers to the resistance of the disciples to believe in the witness of
those men and women who had had an experience of the resurrection of Jesus. Why
would this be? Probably to teach two things. In the first place, that
faith in Jesus goes through the faith of people who give witness. Second,
that nobody should get discouraged when incredulity comes from the heart. Even
the eleven disciples had doubts!
• Then Jesus gives them the mission of announcing the Good News to all creatures. The requirement which He gives is the following: to believe and to be baptized. To those who have the courage to believe in the Good News and who are baptized, He promises the followings signs: they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, and they will lay their hands on the sick who will recover. This happens even in our own day.
- To cast out devils is to fight against the force of evil which destroys life. The life of many people has improved for having entered a community and for having begun to live the Good News of the presence of God in their life.
- To have the gift of tongues is to begin to communicate with others in a new form. Sometimes, we find a person whom we never have seen before, but it seems to us that we have known her for a long time. This happens because we speak the same language, the language of love.
- They will be unharmed if they take deadly poison: there are many things which poison living together, e.g. gossip, which destroys the relationship between people. The one who lives in the presence of God goes beyond this and succeeds in not being bothered by this terrible poison.
- To cure the sick: wherever there is a clearer consciousness of the presence of God, there is also a special attention toward oppressed and marginalized people, especially the sick What helps the person to heal is to feel accepted and loved.
- Through the community, Jesus continues His mission: Jesus himself, who lived in Palestine where He accepted the poor of His time, revealed the love of the Father, this same Jesus continues alive in our midst, in the same way in our communities. Through us He continues His mission, revealing the Good News of the Love of God for the poor. Even today, the Resurrection takes place which urges us to sing, “Who will separate us, who will separate us from the love of Christ, who will separate us?” (cf. Rm 8: 38-39). No power of this world can counteract the force which comes from faith in the Resurrection (Rm 8: 35-39). A community which wants to witness to the Resurrection has to be a sign of life, should fight against the forces of death in a way that the world will be a favorable place for life, and should believe that a different world is possible. Above all in Latin America, where the life of the people is in danger because of the system of death which has been imposed, the communities have to be a living proof of the hope which overcomes the world without the fear of being happy!
• Then Jesus gives them the mission of announcing the Good News to all creatures. The requirement which He gives is the following: to believe and to be baptized. To those who have the courage to believe in the Good News and who are baptized, He promises the followings signs: they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues, they will pick up snakes in their hands and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, and they will lay their hands on the sick who will recover. This happens even in our own day.
- To cast out devils is to fight against the force of evil which destroys life. The life of many people has improved for having entered a community and for having begun to live the Good News of the presence of God in their life.
- To have the gift of tongues is to begin to communicate with others in a new form. Sometimes, we find a person whom we never have seen before, but it seems to us that we have known her for a long time. This happens because we speak the same language, the language of love.
- They will be unharmed if they take deadly poison: there are many things which poison living together, e.g. gossip, which destroys the relationship between people. The one who lives in the presence of God goes beyond this and succeeds in not being bothered by this terrible poison.
- To cure the sick: wherever there is a clearer consciousness of the presence of God, there is also a special attention toward oppressed and marginalized people, especially the sick What helps the person to heal is to feel accepted and loved.
- Through the community, Jesus continues His mission: Jesus himself, who lived in Palestine where He accepted the poor of His time, revealed the love of the Father, this same Jesus continues alive in our midst, in the same way in our communities. Through us He continues His mission, revealing the Good News of the Love of God for the poor. Even today, the Resurrection takes place which urges us to sing, “Who will separate us, who will separate us from the love of Christ, who will separate us?” (cf. Rm 8: 38-39). No power of this world can counteract the force which comes from faith in the Resurrection (Rm 8: 35-39). A community which wants to witness to the Resurrection has to be a sign of life, should fight against the forces of death in a way that the world will be a favorable place for life, and should believe that a different world is possible. Above all in Latin America, where the life of the people is in danger because of the system of death which has been imposed, the communities have to be a living proof of the hope which overcomes the world without the fear of being happy!
4) Personal questions
• To cast out devils, to have the gift of new
tongues, to be unharmed by deadly poison and by snakes, to impose the hands on
the sick: Have you fulfilled any of these signs?
• Does Jesus continue His mission through us and through our community? Is He able to fulfill this mission in our community? In what way?
• Does Jesus continue His mission through us and through our community? Is He able to fulfill this mission in our community? In what way?
5) Concluding prayer
Praise Yahweh, all nations,
extol Him, all peoples,
for His faithful love is strong
and His constancy never-ending. (Ps 117:1-2)
extol Him, all peoples,
for His faithful love is strong
and His constancy never-ending. (Ps 117:1-2)
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