GOSPEL

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel”

From the Gospel according to Mark 16:9-15

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either.

But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Witnesses? Who to believe?

Jesus “rebuked them for their unbelief.” It’s not common for Jesus to rebuke something. However, disbelief regarding the testimony of others must hold special importance, don’t you think?

The testimony of others is so significant for God and the Church that many saints are elevated to the honor of the altars. Many are considered models of Christian identification. Of course, there’s also falsehood. How do we discern when to trust and when not to? On one hand, there must be a connection between testimony and revelation for it to be reliable. On the other hand, there must be coherence in life so that the person is seen trying to practice what they preach. And then, when someone testifies, they personally commit to the cause, sometimes even to the point of giving their life.

Christ spoke of his resurrection on the third day (revelation), and then some disciples come saying they have seen him risen (they personally commit by coming and facing everyone), and yet they are not believed. Jesus, after rebuking them for their unbelief, sends them to proclaim the Gospel, and woe to those who do not believe them.

Applied to Married Life:

After a life of selfishness and using others for personal gain, James decides to live by the Gospel. Obviously, James had caused significant hurt to his wife and loved ones. Consequently, James, didn’t immediately become a positive example for others It all started with good intentions and with more or less frequent relapses, so his good deeds were interpreted as “surely expecting something in return”. But gradually, by the grace of the Lord, the Gospel was taking root in his attitudes, in his conversations, and in his priorities. James was truly changing. He was truly undergoing a transformation, shifting his focus away from his own interests and towards prioritizing his wife’s needs.

James was no longer as admired in his work, but he continued to dedicate himself to it out of love for God. He wasn’t such a “leader” in his home anymore, but he tried to give glory to God; nor did he impress his friends as much by knowing everything. Because the Good News is not effective if it’s not proclaimed by a “new man”. And that, no one denied, neither his wife nor his children. James was definitely a “new man” now.

Now James is, above all, a witness to the resurrection of Jesus, and his wife is madly in love with the “new” James.

Mother,

I thank you because I have believed. You have been watching over me until I believed. Christ has risen, and He is here, by my side, within me. And He loves me so intensely that He will never abandon me. And of this, I am a witness, Mother. Praise be to the Lord who has saved us. Hallelujah!