Thursday, January 25, 2018

Gospel Thoughts Today: No Guessing Who Belongs

A great blog post from a few years ago, written by the love of my life, Jay Crandall! (Note: we are not NFL watchers anymore with their unpatriotic stances . . . but this is a great analogy for today's Gospel).

Every year, the NFL holds a draft for college athletes looking to move on and play professionally. Right there, on the day of the draft, the players are given their first pieces of clothing identifying them with their new team (typically a ball cap and a jersey). The day they show for training camp, they are given more gear, equipment, and workout clothes that definitively identify them as a member of that team. The team logo is on their jersey, on their helmet, on their socks, on their shirt, and under their pads . . . it is on everything. There is no guessing if the team considers them one of their own.

Now, these players also understand that they could be cut from the roster at any point. It could be during the season . . . it could be right before the first game of the season . . . it could be on the first day of practice. Regardless, at no point in their journey are they or anyone around them questioning if they are a member of that team.

In today's Gospel (Mark 16:15-18), Jesus asks His eleven apostles to go out and preach the Gospel to every creature. He goes on to say that those who believe in His name will easily be identified:

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.”

In the Monthly Message from August 2006, Jesus talks about the gifts that can only be received by Him:

"I send My apostles the grace necessary for a calm spirit. With this calm spirit, My followers will bring heavenly calm to a restless world that trembles with unease. Live your commitment to time spent in silent prayer and I will place these heavenly graces in your soul. Others will identify these graces in you because these gifts are contrary to the gifts offered by the world. This is another way that My apostles stand out." 

Lay apostles, can you be easily identified as a someone who follows Jesus Christ the Returning King? Do your actions speak louder than your words?

Thank you, Lord, for showing me the path I need to take in order to become more recognizable as one of Your followers. 

Humbly and Gratefully Yours,

Jay

No comments: