1 PETER 5:5B-14

Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you. Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him be dominion forever. Amen. I write you this briefly through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it. The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

MARK 16:15-20

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." 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.

The end of Mark’s Gospel gives a brief account of the resurrection of Jesus, and his ascension to heaven. It was then that Jesus commissioned the Church to continue his mission of preaching the good news to the ends of the earth, and the task of healing the sick. At the same time, he gave them the power to perform these tasks — “in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak new languages. They will lay their hands upon the sick, and they will recover.”

Today, as we continue the mission work of the disciples handed down to us, we have the assurance that we are not alone in performing the work. All of us must have experienced the hand of God in resolving a seemingly insurmountable problem, a miraculous cure of a serious illness, or the return of lost sheep into the flock. Indeed, how thankful we should be with the realization that “Christian life is lived in the presence and the power of him who was crucified and rose again” (Barclay).

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Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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