The gospel for the feast of St. Mark is taken from Mark 16, 15, 20. Jesus appeared to the 11 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 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. Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up to heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

The words, the last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples are very interesting. It underscores the fact that there are things such as demons, things that hurt and harm. And he’s telling his disciples he will not remove them, but he will give them power not to be impacted in a negative way by them. That frees them then to be instruments of great healing. To know that you’re free of the negative things in your life and to know that once you are freed from them, you will become a healer is the great mystery of the preaching of the disciples. Father, help us to feel the promise you made to the disciples is a promise you’ve made to us.

There’s evil and destruction you in the world, it can poison us. But your grace, your life within us is stronger than evil and will conquer it. Help us to hear that message in our hearts. Preach it to us day after day so that we never lose hope. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.