Saturday within the Octave of Easter – Mark 16:9-15
In this Gospel Jesus appears not once but three times. First, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, the woman, out of whom he had driven out seven demons. Mark doesn’t tell us what happened in the encounter. However, Mary Magdalene immediately goes to find Jesus’ companions. They had gathered together to mourn and to find solace with one another.
When Mary told them that Jesus had appeared to her, they did not believe her. Were they thinking: why would Jesus appear to a woman? Surely, he first would appear to his closest companions! Mark simply says: “They did not believe.”
Later that day, Jesus once again appeared. This time Jesus appeared in another form. He showed himself to two disciples who were walking on the road. When the disciples realized it was Jesus, they hurried to tell the others. However, when these two disciples return to tell the other disciples of their encounter with Jesus, Mark says: they “did not believe.” Were they jealous that Jesus had not appeared to them? In order to believe that Jesus was alive, did they need to see Jesus for themselves?
Then Jesus appeared once again! This time it was to the “Eleven” who were gathered at table. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of belief and their hardness of hearts. Despite their lack of belief, Jesus commissioned the Eleven to “Go forth into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature!”
Today Jesus commissions us to “Go forth into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Does this mean we have to leave our homes, our families, our jobs? Will we be called to stand on a street corner and preach the Gospel to strangers? Perhaps Jesus’ call is for us to preach the Gospel by our lives, by the way we love and forgive one another, by our care for the stranger, the poor and the lost. Or is Jesus calling us to live the Gospel by forgiving the individuals who have hurt us? The question for us is: we will respond to His call?
No comments:
Post a Comment