First Reading: (1 Peter 5:5–14)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 89)
Response: I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
We proclaim Christ crucified; He is the power and wisdom of God.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: (Mark 16:15–20)
Reflection
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, a key figure in the early Church and a close companion of the apostles. His Gospel reflects the preaching of St. Peter and stands as a powerful witness to the life and mission of Christ.
The message of today’s Gospel is clear and direct: “Go and preach.”
Jesus did not send the apostles out to perform miracles as their primary mission. He sent them to proclaim the truth, the truth about God, salvation, and eternal life. The focus was always on preaching. The signs came later, not as the goal, but as confirmation from God.
This is where many go wrong today.
There is a growing tendency to focus on signs, wonders, and spectacle, often without substance. But signs, by themselves, do not save. A person who does not know Christ, who does not understand the truth, cannot truly grasp the meaning of signs.
To emphasize signs without truth is dangerous. It is like giving something powerful to someone unprepared, they may misuse it or misunderstand it entirely.
The apostles understood their mission:
Preach first
Teach the truth
Lead people to faith
Then God, in His own way, confirmed their message.
People need to know:
Who God is
What He desires for them
How to love and forgive
The path to salvation
Without this foundation, even the greatest signs lose their meaning.
As believers, we are called to return to the essentials:
Seek truth
Understand Scripture
Grow in faith
And as for those who preach, the call is even more urgent:
Focus on the message. Let God handle the signs.
If the message is authentic, God Himself will confirm it.
Amen 🙏
Amen 🙏
No comments:
Post a Comment