Gospel Reading: Mk 16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and 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.”
PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE
After his resurrection, Jesus commissions the Eleven (Apostles) to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. What is the Gospel? The Gospel, which means “good news,” is that a baptized believer will be saved. The bad news is: the one who does not believe will be condemned. The Gospel is freely offered to everyone; one is free to accept or reject it.
God respects our freedom. Our salvation depends on how we make use of the free will given to us by God. The Apostle Paul, whose conversion we celebrate today, is an exemplar of one who uses his freedom to choose the path shown to him by the risen Lord. He was a zealous Jew, persecuting the early Christians. But when the risen Lord revealed himself to him on the road to Damascus (First Reading), Paul accepted the good news. The rest is history: he became the great Apostle to the Gentiles, proclaiming the good news to every creature.
Lord, bend my heart to your will and not to love of gain.
* * *
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.