Tuesday of the 3rd week of Easter year A

Theme: Authentic discipleship

Today the church celebrates the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. As we celebrate his feast today, it calls to mind the great work he did to propagate the good news of the kingdom of God in the places he worked. He was an asset to his fellow companions in the ministry. He willingly did all within his power to ensure that the good news of Christ got to the ends of the earth. We also see the effort that went into the production of saint Marks gospel. He made good use of his gifts given to him by God, for the propagation of the kingdom of God. His action is an invitation to all of us as Christians in our own time.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the gifts that God has given to you as a person, how well are you using it to promote the kingdom of God in your own way? God has given us all different gifts as assets, that will help us to promote the kingdom of God, what are you doing with the gifts that God has given to you as an individual? Whatever gift you have, is a gift from God and should not be used for only you, your friends and family. It should be used for the good of the body of Christ. The more we make good use of the gifts that God has given us, the better we will become, and the more God will bless us by adequately using our gift.

Never think you have nothing good to offer to other people, all you need is to trust in God and believe in yourself. Everybody created by God has something to contribute for the common good of humanity. That you encountered a setback at one point or the other should not make you give up and accept defeat. Even in the life of Jesus, there were moments things did not go the usual way, but he never gave up; he remained steadfast and focused. A good example is his journey to calvary, he fell on the way three times, he did not give up at any point, rather he stood up and continued his journey until he got to calvary. It is the same thing for us as children of God, there will be moments of pain and difficulties, let us remain strong and focused and God will bless our efforts.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is never too late for us to begin to do the right thing in our lives. Do your best, trust in God, and remain focused and God will bless you and make you fruitful. May almighty God bless you through the intercession of St. Mark in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen

Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist year A, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp