Reflections on Scripture | Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

Choose either the video or audio below.

Gospel
Mark 16:15-18

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
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."

Reflection

Baptism is the symbol of what happened to Jesus as he began his ministry, the Holy Spirit, descending into him.

That's what salvation is all about. About God living inside of us. And when we have that power within us, we do things that we could never imagine doing. We can actually drive out demons, speak new languages, deal with things that are destructive, that won’t destroy us, and we have a healing power within us. That's what salvation is. It's not getting into heaven.

Condemning is being not going to hell necessarily, but it's whether we live a life of rich fullness or whether we live a life of emptiness.

Closing Prayer

Father, to believe is a gift. It is not something that we have the capacity to do. All we need to do is to say, I long to. I want to. I choose to believe in you. And when that happens, then there is a flood of energy in life that flows into us. And then we know what it feels like to be a believer. The lack of anxiety, the lack of shame, the lack of fear. It's a gift. And all we need to do is to say yes when it is offered. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Kyle Cross