Gospel Mark 16:15-20
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.
Homily
I remember going across to the island of St. Vincent about 25 years ago for the Episcopal ordination of the then Fr Rivas. There were many persons from Trinidad and Tobago at the ceremony but when we all left I wondered how he must have felt before the enormity of the task before him.
As I read the Gospel passage for this feast of the Ascension, I remembered that occasion because the disciples must have experienced the same emotions; Jesus was leaving them alone before the enormous task with which they were faced, that of “proclaiming the Gospel to every creature.”
This is a situation which each one of us faces in life; whether it is the beginning of married life, or starting a profession or going on the missions, we all face situations in which our accustomed defence mechanisms are useless and we feel ourselves alone before the enormity of what faces us.
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In the face of these situations the question then must be asked; how did the disciples and how do people of our time face the enormous tasks which they perceive to confront them? In the world of today people have all sorts of procedures to help them to face the challenges. One is advised to develop vision and mission statements, to set priorities, to decide chief areas of responsibility; to set goals and tasks. While these may be tremendously important and indeed they are, for disciples of Jesus there is an added dimension. This dimension is characterized in the words of St Mark: “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs”. For the present day disciples of Jesus, just as for the disciples whom Jesus left behind there has to be the conviction that one is not alone. The disciples whom Jesus left behind knew that Christ accompanied them, and the fruitfulness of their efforts was the sign that God was with them. Throughout the history of Christianity this has been the pattern. Unlikely persons have undertaken enormous tasks, confident of the presence of God with them and have been successful, and this not only in the religious sphere but in all dimensions of human endeavour. We see this in the success of persons and their work, persons like Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, but we also see it in the attitude of sports persons who first of all give thanks to God for their achievements.
As Christians however, the present day disciples of Jesus we must ask ourselves if the command of Jesus given to the disciples before his ascension is being fulfilled. Is the Gospel being proclaimed to every creature? Are we, you and I, actively making this proclamation real?
Jesus continues to tell us that if we believe great signs will accompany our efforts. People of faith will drive out the demons which affect our world when others will not be able to do so. People of faith drive out the demons by the example of their own lives; demons like the demons of egoism and selfishness are driven away. People of faith have the ability to present old truths in new ways, ways which are more understandable to people of our time. How often people say to priests, “Father, the way you explained that passage of scripture helped me to understand it in ways that I had never thought of. People of faith go into dangerous situations and come out unharmed. Think of persons like Fr Gerry Pantin going up into the ghetto after the black power uprising and the great work which came because of his courage!
Today we thank God for people of faith who continue the work of Jesus in our world. We thank God for missionaries in dangerous situations who make the gospel of the Kingdom known and loved. We thank God for Christians who by the example of selfless giving drive out of others the demons of selfishness and egoism. As we thank God for these examples we think of ourselves. Are we people of faith so that we may continue Jesus’ mission in our world today? Are we ready to take up the responsibility of continuing Jesus’ work today? If we are, we can be certain that Jesus will not abandon us, and he will confirm the word which we preach with wondrous signs.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we thank you for the confidence which you placed in the disciples of the first century as YOU sent them out into the world to continue the work of your Son Jesus. We recognize that we, laity, priests and religious are the successors of your disciples and that YOU have chosen us to continue the work of your Son Jesus in the world of today. Be with us as we strive to be faithful, confirm the Word which we proclaim with signs as YOU did long ago. When we are discouraged give us hope and remind us that YOU continue to be with us even as we struggle with opposition and lack of understanding and help us to continue to proclaim the Gospel in every nook and cranny of the world. We ask this in the name of Mary our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
