Universal Mission
by Fr.Gus Carter
1/22/06

Mark's Gospel is thought to have been written in Rome at a time of persecution. In this time of uncertainty Mark wanted to put in writing the essentials of Jesus life. His gospel has been characterized as fast paced. Hence, today's Gospel only tells us the basic story of Jesus recruiting disciples who will be able to continue his mission.

Not too many years ago the mission of the Church was considered to be almost exclusively in the hands of priests and religious. In its efforts to reform the Church, Vatican II reflected on the universal call to healing and mission. The document on the Constitution of the Church wrote: "All Christians in the conditions, duties and circumstances of their lives, and through these will grow constantly in holiness ... making manifest in their ordinary work the love with which God has loved the world." All in the Church are invited to respond to the call of Jesus to holiness and mission." John Shea, a noted popular theologian, stated that the mission of Jesus' disciples to be "to participate and make available to others the creative energy of God in bringing about a better world." Jesus proclaimed that to enter this activity people will have to repent, which means: "to change one's mind." To be part of the Kingdom of God we must reestablish our priorities.

We are invited to transform ourselves spiritually. The key to this transformation process is the life and preaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus' words and actions offer us spiritual wisdom. The wisdom of Christ tries to open the person to receive the Spirit from God and to release that Spirit into the world. Spiritual wisdom targets the mind. I quote John Shea again: "The mind is the gatekeeper of both the soul's access to God and the soul's capacity for creative action in the world. Spiritual wisdom acts on the mind to increase attention to the spiritual, to develop understanding of the spiritual and to integrate the spiritual with physical, social and mental life.

When we encounter Jesus in the Gospel, it is not primarily philosophy that we receive but personal encounter with Jesus Christ. No matter where our minds are at, Jesus works for us in the service of the Spirit of God. Jesus' spiritual wisdom unfolds through concrete conversation. St. Teresa of Avila defined prayer as conversation with God. When we read the Gospel, Jesus words and actions become the source of his speaking to us. We ponder his words and actions and respond to what his words and actions mean to us.

Encounter with Jesus guides us toward spiritual consciousness and action. To watch Jesus act with our mind's eye is to begin to see the power of the Word made Flesh. Jesus' life embodies spiritual wisdom. As John's Gospel says, "Jesus is full of grace and truth ... from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

The Parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates the higher consciousness to which Jesus invites us. One of the mystical experiences common to all humans is of the incredible unity of all things. We especially see ourselves as related to others. Compassion is the interior state of someone who understands human unity before God. Those who have communion with God come to share God's outreaching ways and sense the boundless nature of God. This is reflected in the detailed and extravagant action of the Samaritan. Anyone who loves God is responsive to the needs of all people. Interior love of the merciful God motivates the Samaritan, and he reaches out to those whom God loves. We see in this parable how Jesus shares his knowledge of God by telling a story that can be understood by all. We get some idea of the power available to us through Gospel encounters with Jesus.

There is a powerful spirit for good in the world. We call this the Holy Spirit whom we believe to be the love of God as a person. As God's love created and sustains the world, so also God's love embraces all things. To accept this love is the basic desire for good that the Lord places in all of us. To know and participate in this love is the higher consciousness to which Jesus invites us.