An Honor To Speak For Jesus

𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐄

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐜 𝟒:𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏𝟖:𝟏, 𝟏𝟒-𝟏𝟔, 𝟏𝟖-𝟐𝟎 “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐊 𝟏𝟔:𝟗-𝟏𝟓

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑮𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.” (𝒗.15)

This is one of those times when I find myself struggling to find the words as I started to write this Reflection for today’s Gospel reading that we find in 𝐌𝐤 𝟏𝟔:𝟗-𝟏𝟓. Short this passage may be, but this is so full of substance as it partakes of the nature of the last will and testament of Jesus to the people He has come to save.

In this passage we also become witnesses to a beautiful scenario when we see Our Lord Jesus Christ who, after completing his mission, is now going up to heaven where he will sit at the right hand of the Father and, we see the Holy Spirit descending to fill us and be with us so that we may feel the presence of God us all the days of our lives.

This is such a beautiful manifestation of God’s love that he will not leave us orphaned but are eternally under the shelter of God’s wings through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

That we can regard this as the Last Will and Testament of Jesus for his Apostles and for all of us today is clearly seen in his parting words when he said: “𝑮𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.” (𝒗.15)

Jesus' last words was a reminder for us to keep in mind his saving mission which he is passing on to us as he urges us to be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good news of salvation to all the world.

Thus, our task is to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all the nations because God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for Israel but it is for the whole world -- for all who will accept it.

The Good News is actually the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver us from all forms of evil manifestations and oppression, and to restore us into a new life.

This is, however, contingent on what he said in 𝒗.16 “𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏𝒆𝒅.” For us to be saved, we need to believe. To believe is to listen and put into practice what we hear Jesus telling us in the Sacred Scriptures.

And what we hear is what we need to tell others. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. And this command is given to all believers for us to be the heralds of the Good News and be the Ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

This Gospel passage should remind us of the three major tasks that Jesus wants us to pursue:

1. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒎.

2. 𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌. 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒖𝒔, 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆.

3. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔.

This is the power of the Holy Spirit that allows us to continue the work of Christ in this world we live in.

This Gospel passage ends with the message that the Christian life is lived in the presence and power of him who suffered, was crucified, died and rose again that we may have life and proclaim his gospel of salvation to all nations.

Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon us to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip us for effective ministry and mission. The question is do we witness to others the joy of the gospel and the hope of the resurrection? (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 26, 2025)