Letting the Lord Work Ascension Thursday Mark 16:15-20 Introductory Prayer: Lord, allow me to give this moment of prayer priority over all my other concerns. Holy Mary, you remained with the apostles when Jesus went up to heaven; help me to raise my mind and heart to him. Petition: Lord help me to be an apostle of your kingdom. 1. Gods Paradoxical Plan of Salvation. Jesus ascends into heaven, but before he does, he leaves his disciples a mission. He assigns them the task of building up his Church. Maybe we are so accustomed to the story that it no longer astonishes us but it is truly incredible. These were the same men who just a few weeks earlier had abandoned Christ and locked themselves up in a room out of fear. Humanly speaking anyone would have bet a good deal that their mission was doomed to prompt and certain failure yet here we are two thousand years later! I too am called by Christ to spread my faith and if I ever feel that I am not the best qualified for this mission, well I just have to remember that my Captain is sitting at the right hand of the Father directing the whole operation. 2. Signs of Gods Providence. Time and time again Our Lord has shown throughout history signs of his power at work in his Church to strengthen our faith. Extraordinary miracles have always accompanied the preaching of the Gospel right to our own day. Devils are still driven out and many sick are still being cured in the most extraordinarily unexplainable ways. The greatest miracle of all however is the miracle of Christs continued presence with us in the Eucharist and the conversion of heart that takes place in the sacrament of reconciliation. God is constantly at work for his people. Even when he doesnt grant us astonishing signs, he does shower countless signs of his providence upon us every day. 3. The Lord at Work. The key to success in the mission of being a witness to Christ and his Gospel is found in letting God work. Like the first apostles we have to cast our nets where the Lord directs us. So many times pride and human ambition have stood in the way of Gods plan. We dont have to be anything special to work for the Lord; all we need to do is to follow his direction. What great quality do we really possess anyway that is not a gift from God and his already? Am I confident that the Lord is already at work in me? Do I recognize the signs of his provident love in my life, and do I thank him for them? Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus help me to understand that being an apostle is not an option, but a demand of my baptism. It is the way I can respond to the immense love you have shown to me. Please continue to work in my life. Resolution: I will pause before I go to bed and reflect on the signs of Gods providence in my life, thanking him for them. |
Acts 18:1-8 / Jn 16:16-20 As we read from the Acts of the Apostles day after day in this Easter season, the enormity of the task of sharing the Good News with all people comes home to us. Its an unending task that belongs not just to the clergy but to every member of the Church each in our own way. So what is it exactly that every Christian is called to contribute to this great task of evangelizing the whole world? Nothing less than the shape and character of our lives as replicas of Jesus himself. When people see us in action, they should be able to say Christian, and they should find what they see in us so compellingly attractive that their first reaction should be, Id like to be like that. Thats a tall order, but its not impossible because we are not working alone. We have Jesus himself as our partner, speaking to us from within, revealing his true self to us more and more, and guiding our feet along his path. Let the Lord reshape your heart into his likeness. You can become a gift and a grace to everyone you meet. |