Homily: Saturday, Octave of Easter

Readings: Acts 4:13-21; Ps 118; Mk 16:9-15

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Today, as we approach the end of the Easter Octave, this eight-day celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection, we find in it the perfect sign of hope. The Resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love. Could God provide us with any better guarantee of what He has in store for us?

What I have done for My Son, I will do also for you. As My Son is now with me in glory, so too will you come and dwell with us in eternal happiness. You need only do what the Son asks of you:

“Repent and believe in the Gospel.” [Mk 1:15]

Indeed, these words – “Repent and believe in the Gospel” – are among the first words of Jesus we encounter in Mark’s Gospel. As a writer Mark didn’t elaborate a lot, but just gave us the bare-bones facts. He begins his Gospel with a matter-of-fact statement:

“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” [Mk 1:1]

No theological subtleties there. No, Mark gets right to the point of it all: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of God. Mark seems to tell his readers: Keep that in mind as you read this Gospel and all will become clear.

The passage from today’s Gospel reading is no different and includes some of the final verses of Mark’s Gospel. The concluding verse of this passage is equally straightforward, with the risen Jesus telling His small band of eleven apostles:

"Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” [Mk 16:15]

No exclusions, no dispensations, no excuses. You and all those who follow you – and, that, brothers and sisters, includes you and me – must proclaim the Gospel always and to everyone.

Remember, these 11 apostles weren’t the most faithful of disciples. The death of Jesus had affected them deeply, leaving them with more doubt than faith. They’d shown they hadn’t understood Jesus’ references to His Resurrection. They even questioned the claims of Mary Magdalene and the two disciples from Emmaus. No, it took Jesus Himself to convince them; and even then, they were plagued by doubts. It was so bad Jesus actually chewed them out “for their unbelief and hardness of heart” [Mk 16:14] when He appeared to them

How about you and me? Do we really believe in Christ, even though we don’t see Him? Do we believe He is alive now and still at work to offer healing, forgiveness, hope, and life to all who seek him? Too often we find it hard to trust and believe.

Do we see Jesus and seek Him as He is now? Changed in appearance, He is alive in the beggar, the braggart, the bigot, in those who despise all that you believe. He’s present too in your family…yes. And in those who have turned away from Him and from you. Do we seek Him there, love Him and serve Him, grow as we search for Him, find Him again, and then go on to find Him still in others? 

Notice, too, that Jesus wastes no time, and gives the eleven that final command, His great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all the world. Matthew, in his Gospel, adds a bit more: 

“Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” [Mt 28:19-20]

But regardless of the which Gospel text we turn to, the command is much the same...and it’s kind of a scary command, isn’t it? Really, now, how much Gospel proclaiming have you and I done this week…this month…this year?

I suspect it was scary too for the disciples who actually heard Jesus say it. If His Resurrection was unexpected, this command was even more so. But then, just a few days later, we encounter the power of the Holy Spirit, and see how, in an instant, He can change minds and hearts. This power is manifested in the remarkable witness of the Apostles in today’s reading from Acts. Peter and John, these fishermen, these “uneducated, ordinary men,” were doing miraculous things in Jesus’ name while proclaiming the Gospel throughout Jerusalem. They did so because, in their words, 

"It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts 4:20]

And so, if you’re a little behind in your Gospel proclaiming, recall again those first words of Jesus: “Repent and believe in the Gospel” -- for they are the key.

Go to Reconciliation in repentance and let the Holy Spirit shower you with His grace. Open yourself up to Him in prayer. Ask Him to guide you, to help you proclaim the Gospel by living the Gospel.