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A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (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.”
Jesus defines exactly how those who are baptized behave and what they are capable of doing. He refers not to others, the great saints or those who lived during his time; instead, the invitation to hear and accept the Gospel is meant for “every creature.” Those who believe and are baptized will be saved; those who do not will be condemned. The signs of those who believe, Jesus says, point to him and his mission of salvation: to preach the Gospel and to heal the sick. Among those who believe, though, every day does not consist of driving out demons, speaking new languages, picking up serpents, and drinking poison. Yet, as members of the Body of Christ, Jesus does not call us to be accompanied by watered down signs. Not only does he call us to goodness, he calls us to holiness; rather than providing palliative care, he calls us to heal the ill at its source. And all of this, as with other miraculous works, is possible because the power isn’t ours—it is in the name of Jesus.
God, you transformed the life of Saul with the words of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” The disciple Ananias heard your voice and knew immediately how to respond, saying “Here I am, Lord.” Through the conversion of Paul, innumerable believers throughout the ages have been baptized, brought into the arms of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Help me today see in the conversion of Saint Paul not merely a Bible story I have heard countless times but a supreme account of the divine power and authority in which Jesus calls me to believe. Paul is among the first to hear Jesus and respond to him: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
From the Gospel acclamation: “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” Saint Paul, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.