FIRST REVELATION: The resurrected Christ was given to Mary Magdalene; that’s what the evangelist Mark tells us. Jesus then accompanied the disciples to Emmaus and finally appeared to the eleven apostles (compare Mk 16:9-15). In all these revelations, Jesus wanted to restore their peace, stimulate their faith, and revive the apostolic mission to which they were called. It is true that when Master needed them the most, his disciples were cowards. Even after the resurrection, they were still confused and full of doubts. Christ „ revealed himself to the Eleven as they sat at the table and reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart for not believing those who saw him resurrected“ (Mk 16, 14).
Despite everything, Jesus did not hesitate to confirm them in their vocation: they were chosen as his witnesses, and he did not want to replace them with others. God’s commission ended this visit: „Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to all creation“ (Mk 16, 15). The gift of a vocation for an apostolic mission belongs to them, even if they are not particularly strong or exceptionally well-prepared. This explains the commotion caused by Peter and John when they healed a paralyzed person after a few weeks: „ They knew that they were unlearned and simple people, so they were shocked “ (Acts 4, 13).
Apostles with their gifts and faults will be „fishermen people“ sent to all the seas of the earth. This is how everyone realizes that salvation is God’s work. „Every man and every woman is a mission, and that’s why they live on earth (…). The fact that we are in this world without prior decision of our own leads us to realize that there is an initiative that precedes us and calls us into existence. Each of us is called to think about this fact: I am a mission on this earth, and therefore I am in this world“[1].
God reckons with our strengths and weaknesses …
SAINT PAUL he understood well what it means to be an apostle of Jesus Christ and expressed it in these words: „ So I will rather boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. That is why I delight in weaknesses, in disgrace, in need, in persecution, and anxieties for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am intense “ (2 Cor 12, 9-10). Our own weakness can be a strength for the disciple, because when we find ourselves without our own resources, we find that we have the greatest gift that always remains to us: God, who gives himself entirely to us. That is why the apostle of the nations boasts of his weaknesses. „ He does not boast of his actions, but of the action of Christ, who works precisely in his weakness“.
When proclaiming Christ’s message, the experience of our own vulnerability does not have to shake us if we have a humble attitude and complete trust in God’s action. The evangelization of the Church belongs to him, and not to us. We feel, like St. Paul, that we are a „ clay vessel“ (2 Cor 4, 7), which God fills with the treasure of his grace, and thus in it we undeservedly receive priceless jewels.
The kingdom of God is not realized only because of a good human strategy, nor does it rely only on our ability to face new challenges. Although all this can certainly be part of our contribution, we find strength and knowledge for our mission in God. The Lord unites us with his kingdom because he wants to count on us to expand it: and that is wonderful. „ As our union with the Lord grows, and our prayer intensifies, we too go to the essence of things and understand that it is not the power of our means, our virtues, our abilities that bring about the kingdom of God, but that it is God who works miracles precisely through our weakness, through our inadequacy to the task.
Finding strength in the Risen Christ …
„GO WORLDWIDE and preach the gospel“ (Mk 16, 15). This is the imperative command of the Master. They were gathered in the same house, perhaps at the same table, where Jesus gave them his Body to eat and his Blood to drink. The apostles did not apologize for their lack of fidelity or moral strength. They did not even speak to the Risen Lord, although they certainly thought that the mission was too great. How did they feel when they heard those words of Jesus? They certainly felt as if they were dizzy, having been entrusted with such an ambitious message. „Shall we reach the whole world?“ they asked. „ After all, we couldn’t even show ourselves to those in our own city“.
When they only looked at themselves, it was easy to convince themselves that this mission was utopian. But the sight of the Risen Lord changed everything: they looked at the palms of his hands, at his side, at his eyes; if Jesus wanted them to travel the whole world, they would do it in his name. For this mission, St. Josemaría proposed the following itinerary: „Know Jesus Christ; make him known to others; take him with you everywhere. This mission, which concerns all the baptized, is carried out primarily by allowing ourselves to be attracted by Jesus. „ Let yourself be loved by him, and you will be witnesses whom the world needs so much“. As with St. Peter, our own experience with the Lord’s love is the starting point for attracting others to this love: “We cannot fail to talk about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4, 20).
Faith grows through personal testimony, it is strengthened in mission. This is how we are sure that making Jesus known to other people is the most precious gift we can give. As a good mother, Mary encourages us to be able to give our best with God’s grace.
