He has gone up, we must go out
He has gone up, we must go out
Happy Mother’s Day! Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension. We celebrate when Jesus' physical body was carried up into heaven. Jesus returned to his father in heaven. He taught us the good news about our God and God's love for us. We celebrate that, through His spiritual union with us, we become Jesus' hands and feet in the world.
He has gone up, we must go out
I say we must go out because Jesus says, in today's Gospel reading from Mark, that we must "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." In other words, Jesus is telling His followers to boldly share the Good News of salvation through Him, reaching out to all people and cultures.
As Christians, Jesus is telling US to go into our communities, to go and evangelize, and to go out and love and serve others in the world.
Here is the challenge, when God calls us to go out to proclaim the Gospel and serve others, what do we do?
Do we go? Or do we hesitate? Do we question? Do we procrastinate?
Just a few weeks ago, I had an eye-opening discussion with Deanna Munoz, our Parish Office clerk, about the calls she receives from seniors who need help. These individuals may require assistance with errands, such as going to the grocery store, or they may simply be seeking someone to talk to and alleviate their loneliness. Deanna expressed her genuine desire to help but felt constrained by her office duties. She posed a thought-provoking question: "What are we going to do?" This question struck me as a call to action, a reminder that we all have a part to play in serving others. No, There was something in Deanna's spirit where she felt that she was being called to go and take some action. As a result, I started a bulletin appeal a few weeks ago and we now have some volunteers for a seniors ministry, including Deanna.
Brothers and sisters, if Jesus is calling you today to take some action to serve Him, how are you responding?
Please know that I understand that Jesus' call to us, His purpose for us, could be a challenge for us. It might require some sacrifice. It might require reprioritizing some things.
What are some reactions that we could have to a call like this?
This task is too big for me to take on, the need is too big
Do I have the skills and the gifts to do this?
Where would I start?
I'm already too busy, I have enough on my plate
I've just gotten comfortable doing what I'm doing now, I want to stay in my comfort zone
Hopefully someone else can take care of it
I'm sure some of you have had the similar thoughts when God has called you to a ministry or to a mission or to help someone in need.
And no matter where you are in your discernment, please remember this... God doesn't call the perfect, he perfects the call.
And when he calls us, he wants us to go.
He is commanding us today to go and proclaim the Gospel
He wants us to go and be more Christ-like every day in our behavior and in the way we treat others
He wants us to go and share God's love, forgiveness, and hope with people who do not know Christ
He wants us to go and follow his call for us.
He has gone up, we must go out
Let us pray for God's grace, for the Holy Spirit, to guide us in our lives. Let us ask God that we can hear and understand his call for us.
Yours in Christ,
Deacon Darryl
