Daily Gospel Reflection for April 7, 2018

Today's Gospel: Mark 16:9-15 The eleven did not believe Mary Magdalene or the two who met Jesus on the road. The eleven - the men who had lived with Jesus for three years, who had walked with Him daily, heard His teachings more intimately and thoroughly than anyone else on earth, did not believe that He actually had done what He said he was going to do. The eleven, who had seen Him walk on water, multiply the loaves and the fishes, heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, and had given up their own livelihoods for three years to follow Him, did not believe that He had actually risen from the dead. Why not? Was it because the messengers were not believable? A woman and two men who claimed to have met Him on the road said that they had seen Jesus and had a message for them. Did they need a special sign or a holy prophet, just as the others in the crowd always asked from Him? Or was it something more that frightened them? What if everything He had said all along was really...true? C.S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia series, stated, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." If Jesus did truly rise from the dead, then the lives of the eleven were unalterably changed forever. They could not go back to their mundane lives of fishing, collecting taxes, herding, or farming. They would now know, without a shadow of the doubt, that God had inserted Himself into human history, and they could not go back to their old way of living.

Ponder:

Do I forget that everything Jesus said and did is true? Do I live as if my faith is controlled by me, on my timetable, within my defined parameters, for my convenience?

Pray:

Lord, although I may never understand the enormity of You, allow me to allow You to absorb me into Your holy enormity and Your unfathomable love.

Copyright 2018 Cynthia Millen Cindy and her husband Jim were blessed to have five kids in four years (2 sets of twins), and are looking forward to grandchild number 3. Her love for reading and writing grew into the publication of several children's books (under the name C. M. Millen), poems, short stories, and a short book about the Natural Law. She enjoys growing things in her garden, knitting, the teaching (and learning from) the students at Christ the King School in Toledo, Ohio, and attending Mass there with marvelous parishioners and priests. She also writes for Catholic Stand. Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required