“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)
FIRST READING - Is 60, 1-6
60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
and I will adorn my glorious temple.
8 “Who are these that fly along like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[a]
bringing your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.
10 “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor I will show you compassion.
11 Your gates will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—
their kings led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,
to adorn my sanctuary;
and I will glorify the place for my feet.
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
and the joy of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,
your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor
and well-being your ruler.
18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”
SECOND READING - 1Tm 2,1-8
2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 16:15-20
He 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.”
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.
WORLD MISSION DAY - Gospel (Mk 16:15-20)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today is Mission Sunday, the Church dedicates it to praying for the mission. Missioning is the nature of the Church. Therefore, every Christian has the responsibility and duty to evangelize, that is, to bring God's love to everyone.
Today's Word of God talks about Jesus giving His power to the apostles before He ascended to heaven. He instructed them: when they go out to preach, they must live according to what He taught, so that the power and strength of God can be shown to those who have lived and are living according to God's teachings. Only the power and strength of the Supreme God can make Satan afraid and come out of the souls they hold captive.
God wants to tell all humanity: He is the Father who loves everyone. God gave power and strength to the apostles and to all those who absolutely believe in His power; that is, to have power over Satan and to heal all diseases and infirmities; but on one condition: those who follow Jesus must live and do what God teaches, then that power and strength will be shown in their words and actions when exercising Satan and healing diseases.
When those who use the name of God to exorcize Satan, they are only instruments that God uses. Therefore, those who are chosen and given power by God must be aware of their sinful condition, aware that they are only imperfect servants chosen and given power by God. Thus, those who use the name of God to exorcize demons and heal diseases must not be complacent or arrogant; because Satan will take advantage of human weakness to tempt, stalk and steal the souls of those people.
Hence, the Word of God today warns the apostles and all those who are following Jesus: be alert in all places and at all times, be alert to your words, actions and deeds when casting out Satan. Always put God above all things, and obey and practice according to the words of God, then Satan will have to submit. Because they only fear the light of God's words, they fear the power and strength of God manifested in the disciples who carry out His commandments.
The Word of God today warns everyone: in every thought, word, action and deed, always do it for the glory of God; do not do it for your own glory, do not fall into the temptations and traps of Satan; because they make people yearn for honor and worldly glory, and then overshadow the name of God.
God warns His disciples: always be aware of your sinful condition when being chosen by God to participate in His work; and when you are given the power and strength to drive out Satan, heal all diseases for your brothers and sisters, then be awake to listen and practice the words of God, do exactly as He commands, then Satan will not be able to harm those who are carrying out God's commands.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Comments