Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 25, 2022
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
Our gospel comes from the longer ending of Mark—the most ancient manuscripts end earlier at
verse 16:8. There the angel tells the women at the tomb that Jesus has risen, but he does not appear. Rather, they are told to tell his disciples that he will go before them into Galilee, where they will see him.
I believe the evangelist had good reason for this ending, but it seems early Christians felt the lack of a resurrection appearance was a mistake. They added one based on oral tradition. Since manuscripts with this ending are also ancient, the Church accepted it as Scripture.
Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Most of the signs promised in today’s reading, except the harmless drinking of poison, happen to St. Paul as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
He casts out a demon. Accidentally bitten by a viper, he survives. His eyesight is healed by laying on of hands. But even though the risen Lord called out to Paul on the road to Damascus, it was not enough to commission him to bear witness. Paul was instructed to be baptized.
The Lord does not normally thunder from Heaven in order to proclaim the Good News, but he does entrust his voice to us—the baptized.
We are not to handle snakes or drink poison to see if he will save us. Instead, we can be confident that the power the grace of baptism has to make of our lives a witness, cannot be conquered by the ancient serpent (the devil) or any of his poison.
Just like St. Paul, who “bore on his body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6.17) and was ultimately martyred, no misfortune can destroy the power this grace gives us to bear witness to the one whom Paul says “loved me, and gave Himself for me”
(Gal. 2.20).
This is the enduring wonder, that out of ordinary lives, the risen Lord makes powerful signs of his life and love.
Prayer
Lord God today we join with the Church throughout the world to celebrate the feast of the great apostle to the Gentiles. Called by the risen Christ, Paul no longer lived for himself or for his own justice but only for Christ and with Christ. May we who follow in his footsteps never seek to build up ourselves but always to give of ourselves in building up the body of believers. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Paul has one of the most dramatic and famous conversion stories of all time.
Saul was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus. Saul was a highly educated Jewish man who was trained in classical disciplines such as rhetoric and in the strict observance of Mosaic law. Saul was a zealous Pharisee and had returned to Tarsus before Jesus began his public ministry in Palestine.
In fact, Saul was so zealous about the law that he persecuted Christians because they departed from it in their following of Jesus. He was in the crowd that murdered St. Stephen, the first martyr, and violently persecuted other Christians. He would drag Christians out of their homes, shackle them with chains, and throw them in prison.
He asked permission to round up all the Christians in Damascus and march them, in chains, to Jerusalem as an example. On his way to Damascus, he was surrounded by an intensely bright light from heaven and was struck to the ground. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me,” a voice called out. “Who are you, sir?” Saul cried out. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9).
Saul was converted at that moment, and the Lord instructed him to go into Damascus, where he would be told what to do. Saul got up, but realized he could not see—he had been struck blind by the vision.
He was led into the city and sheltered there until a Christian named Ananias was told by the risen Lord to find Saul and lay hands on him and heal him. Ananias had heard about this Saul and was reluctant, but followed Jesus’ instructions and laid hands on him. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he regained his sight.
Saul was baptized and changed his name to Paul, and almost immediately began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. He went on to make missionary journeys through southern Europe and Asia Minor, and converted many—especially among people who were not Jewish. Fourteen of his letters are preserved as part of the New Testament.
Paul was killed in Rome by beheading, the method of execution for Roman citizens, which is why he is often depicted with a sword (as he is with this window in the chapel of Morrissey Hall, shown above). His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, including part of the column where he was beheaded. His conversion is depicted in a stained glass window there.
St. Paul, apostle whose encounter with the persecuted Christ changed the course of your life and Christian history—pray for us!