Third Week of Easter
25th April 2023 (Tuesday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: 1 Peter 5:5b-14
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
R/. I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord Or: Alleluia.
Gospel : Mark 16:15-20
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: A mission commissioned!
Indicative: Our call is to follow the Lord and do his mission. For sure he will accompany us, empower us and accomplish his mission through us{alertSuccess}
1. We celebrate St Mark’s feast. He was a disciple of Peter, a cousin of Barnabas, and a companion of Paul on his first missionary journey. He is one of the four evangelists. He died a martyr’s death, being dragged through the streets of Alexandria.
2. Rightly in tune with the festive theme, today’s liturgy of the word of God focuses on mission. Mark was clear, convinced and committed to the Lord’s mission. It was a mission by word and deed. He preached the word. He wrote the word. He also lived it on his way of virtue and teachings of the Lord, accompanied by signs and wonders.
3. In the words of Jesus, it is the mission of “going into the whole world”, “proclaiming the gospel to every creature”, and making others “believe, be baptised and be saved”. Therefore, our mission cannot be “restrictive”, either by place or people. It is a universal and expansive mission. This is indicated by the phrases, “whole world” and “every creature”.
4. It is a mission to proclaim the gospel. We should proclaim only gospel and not anything evil. It is a mission of leading all to faith and salvation. Therefore, anything that leads away from faith and leads to destruction, is not true to the mission.
5. What will be some conditions and features of a missionary and fidelity to the mission? The first reading enumerates some of them in terms of virtues. A life of mission is a life of virtue. The mission is not only doing something but living as someone of Christ.
6. One fundamental condition of the mission is humility, as Peter exhorts us, “Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for God opposes the proud but bestows favour on the humble”.
7. Surrender is another condition” “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you”. Vigilance and alertness is another requirement: “Be sober and vigilant”. Resistance to evil and steadfastness in faith is the other condition.
8. What will be some effects of the power of this mission? The power over evil, to drive out the demons, the ability to communicate and proclaim, by speaking new languages, being shielded from what is harmful, and the power to heal.
Imperative: The greatest effect and sign of God’s power in our mission is that the Lord will himself “restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us”{alertSuccess}