Reflection
Today is Saturday, April 25th. It is the Saturday of the Third Week of Easter.
There seems to be two very different themes in the readings for today which appear to be in stark contrast to each other.
The First Reading, which is from the first Letter of St. Peter, states this, “Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”
Humility is the clear theme of Saint Peter’s letter.
The passage from the Gospel of Mark has this directive, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Echoes of mission and boldness resonate in my ears, when I read that sentence from the Gospel.
We see the following words when we read further in today’s Gospel, “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.”
Power is the clear theme of this Gospel passage. Without power, how does one drive out demons, handle serpents and cure the sick!
Humility and Power – Is it an either/or or is it both? Humility and Power – Can they co-exist or they mutually exclusive?
The command to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Is crystal clear and comes from Christ himself. That command, that mission, extends to us today.
However, it is incumbent upon us to remember WHOSE mission it is – It is God’s mission, not ours. We are the messengers, we are not the Word. It is imperative we remember WHERE the power comes from, not from us but from the Gospel.
If we remember that, then not only can Humility and Power coexist, but they can actually compliment each other in the fulfillment of Christ’s mission.