FEAST OF ST. MARK,
EVANGELIST
Psalter: Proper / (Red)
Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
1st Reading: 1 Pt 5: 5b-14
In the same way, let the younger ones among you respect the authority of the elders. All of you must clothe yourselves with humility, in your dealings with one another, because God opposes the proud but gives his grace to the humble.
Bow down, then, before the power of God, so that he will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on him, since he takes care of you.
Be sober and alert, because, your enemy, the devil prowls about, like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Stand your ground, firm in your faith, knowing, that our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar sufferings. God, the giver of all grace, has called you, to share in Christ’s eternal glory, and after you have suffered a little, he will bring you to perfection: he will confirm, strengthen and establish you forever. Glory be to him forever and ever. Amen.
I have had these few lines of encouragement, written to you by Silvanus, our brother, whom I know to be trustworthy. For I wanted to remind you of the kindness of God, really present in all this. Hold on to it.
Greetings from the community in Babylon, gathered by God, and from my son, Mark.
Greet one another with a friendly embrace. Peace to you all who are in Christ.
Gospel: Mk 16:15-20
Then he told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who have believed: in my name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took his place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.
REFLECTION:
The last instruction of the Lord is given to His disciples. They have to go out and spread His teachings. The group started as a little movement with members that do not really inspire confidence. It is an amalgam of fishermen, tax-collectors, patriots and a thief. But they have undergone the purifying bath of the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. They have been tested and have stood firm, albeit with certain hesitation. Their training is complete. From being disciples of the Lord, they will make disciples of others.
And so it goes that in life we pass through certain stages but we are not meant to stay there forever. Life progresses towards a definite end. The destination is what we make of it in our sojourn. Let us take our place too in the community of God’s disciples and make others disciples of God too. Our mission awaits. Let us take up the task with courage for the Lord will be with us till the end.
Daily Reflection
Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
