FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL - APOSTLE -Gospel - (Mk 16:15-18) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)

FIRST READING - Acts 22:3-16

Paul addressed the people in these words:

“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,

but brought up in this city.

At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law

and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

I persecuted this Way to death,

binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.

Even the high priest and the whole council of elders

can testify on my behalf.

For from them I even received letters to the brothers

and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem

in chains for punishment those there as well.

“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,

about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.

I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’

And he said to me,

‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’

My companions saw the light

but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.

I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’

The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus,

and there you will be told about everything

appointed for you to do.’

Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,

I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.

“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,

and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

came to me and stood there and said,

‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’

And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.

Then he said,

‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,

to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;

for you will be his witness before all

to what you have seen and heard.

Now, why delay?

Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,

calling upon his name.’”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 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.”

FEAST OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL - APOSTLE - Gospel - (Mk 16:15-18)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God

In today's Word of God speaks of Jesus appearing to the eleven so that He could bestow special graces on the apostles who followed Him.

He also bestowed graces on those who have absolute faith in the Almighty God.

God has full authority over the bodies and souls of humankind; He does whatever He wants, and no one can stop Him. Specifically, today's Word of God says that Saint Paul of Tarsus was the one who opposed God and opposed His apostles.

But when Saint Paul was touched by God, he received the grace of conversion of heart. This shows that when someone is touched by God, He will transform both their body and soul.

Through that image, God wants all mankind to know that: all those who have absolute faith in God and follow Him, He will give different graces or special gifts, to collaborate in God's plan of salvation.

Like the time of the apostles in the past, they were faithful to God and believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God who had come to the world to save mankind.

Because they had absolute faith in the almighty God, God gave them different graces; especially the grace of exorcism and healing of the sick and sinners.

It was through the strength and power of God that was with the apostles that they healed the sick and exorcised many people.

God also added that all those who believe in Him will be healed both physically and spiritually.

Because the power of faith is so important, God wants to emphasize to the apostles, as well as to people in today's world to listen to God's words and put them into practice; and to to have absolute faith in God's love; He will heal all illnesses and infirmities.

He also calls that when anyone receives the fullness of God's grace, we must also know how to share it with others, know how to give those graces to our brothers and sisters, and know how to lead our brothers and sisters to God.

Do not live selfishly, do not worry about yourself, do not accumulate anything for yourself; because the graces that God gives are to collaborate in the work of salvation, to work together with Jesus Christ, to go throughout the world to preach the Gospel, to cast out demons and heal, to baptize all those who believe in God; so that God's love will be in their souls.

God calls humanity in today's world:

-To run to God, to believe in His absolute power

-To know how to share the graces we have received from God with our fellow human beings, to help these souls also receive grace, and also receive eternal life from God.

This is the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven, which God wants to give to all His children when we are born into this world.

God wants to emphasize to humanity that: 'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.'

God always accompanies and is with humanity in all places and at all times.

He calls on everyone to:

Open the door of our souls and convert our lives like Saint Paul, so that God Himself can enter our hearts, to be healed by God in both body and soul, and He will reward the Kingdom of Heaven to those who are faithful and loyal to Him until our last breath.

God also calls the apostles in today's world to follow the example of the first apostles of old to run to God, to have absolute faith in God's power, so that He will increase our strength and power in the work of exorcism and heal others, and to cooperate with God in the work of saving humanity.

Thanks be to God. Amen.