Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.
Whilst Jesus was giving the clarion call to the Apostles, it is a message that rings true for us now as for them with the resurrected Christ.
We have been given the greatest gift: faith. We are transformed by our baptism and the Holy Spirit to be the ones who profess with joy and conviction, “I believe”. But with that comes so much responsibility: the responsibility to give that message to others for if we have the greatest gift we could possibly ever be given, why shouldn’t others share in that gift that God has freely given to us? We should be bold to proclaim that Jesus is risen from the dead and He is Lord! As we heard in Acts, the Holy Spirit will give us the words that we need if only we are open to the Spirit in our prayers, in our thoughts and in our witness.
And our witness is so, so important. How can we show to others the love that comes with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ if we never show it? If we hide it under a table? If we lose it on the mountainside? We must live the life we profess to be true.
And that can be so difficult. We are bombarded with mainstream secular culture being anti-Christian in its message, where anything goes and there is no absolute truth. We must be prepared to stand against this despite the many opponents and the perceived surety of their arguments. But that is how the Devil tempted Christ – quoting scripture – but just like in the desert, the Truth must win out. The Spirit will do its job, but we must be advocates for the Advocate!
Is this the new recusancy for the modern age – where we are not afraid to speak the truth of God’s message but expect repercussions for it – in the work place, in the market square, in our families, with our friends?
But if we believe and are baptised we will be saved. Let us renew our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the Way the Truth the Life. No one can come to the Father except through him. On this day when we celebrate his ascension to the right hand of the Father, let us renew our own efforts to ensure that, with the help of the Spirit, we and those we come into contact with, will also be with the Father in heaven.
Gospel Mark 16:15-20 ©
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name 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; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.