The Commissioning of the Eleven

Today's Reflections

The Commissioning of the Eleven 

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Mk 16:15-18

¹⁵[Jesus appeared to the Eleven and] said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. ¹⁸They 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.”

Reflection:

Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. This command is not meant by Christ only for his immediate hearers, the Eleven (Judas has not yet been replaced). The words are intended for us all. St. Paul did not belong to the Twelve, but no evangelizer was more zealous, active, and effective than he.

Thank God, we are now realizing that the Christian vocation is a calling also to the apostolate (Vatican II), and that to be a Christian is to be a missionary. The Eleven who are sent in the Gospel do not yet have a perfect faith. Jesus has to rebuke them for their unbelief. You do not have to be a perfect Christian to be an evangelizer. Let the gospel penetrate your heart and life, and you will feel the urge to spread it.

With Paul, say,

“Woe to me if I do not preach [the gospel]!”

(cf 1 Cor 9:16).