7th Sunday of Easter
Acts 1: 1-11; Psalm 46; Eph. 4:1-13; Mark 16: 15-20
Read: Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said: “Go throughout the world proclaiming the Gospels to all mankind”.
Reflect: What did Jesus infer when he said that the Gospels should be proclaimed to “all mankind”? Surely, he meant “to all people”, but not just that. He wished to widen the horizon and to contemplate salvation being extended throughout the whole universe. Every creature is the fruit of God’s love (Prov. 8:22-31). Because of sin, many times, man acted badly with other creatures. Lead by greed, man did not understand, or went against, God’s plan. Instead, man took hold of the world, ending up by being a despot and predator. Many times, man does not use science and technology in accordance with God’s plan, but uses these in a manner that manipulates nature according to man’s egoistic interests. And when he did so, man created chaos.
For this reason, as St. Paul said: “All creation is eagerly waiting for the revelation of God’s children …. All creation will eventually be released from the slavery of wrong doing, and will obtain delivery as God’s children (Rom. 8: 19-21). The spreading of the Gospels releases man from his conviction that he is the absolute owner of creation. Thus, he is made to realise that he has no right to intervene as he likes on nature. He is made to start a new relationship, respect, and love, not only with fellow men, but also with the environment, plants, and animals.
Pray: “God, be praised by our sister and mother the Earth, because this is our lifeline and she guides us, and renders fruit of every kind, roses with fragrance, and vegetables” (St. Francis).
Act: “All of us are able to collaborate as tools in God’s hands in caring for creation, each and every one of us through one’s culture and experience, initiative and abilities”. (Pope Francis, Laudate Si 14)