5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
If the condition for our apostolate is fidelity to God, and if Christ’s mission on earth was to establish the Kingdom of God and to spread the Good News of His Father, then our mission as children of God and as disciples of Christ is to be faithful to God and to continue the mission of Christ in the world. So ask yourself, am I faithful to God in His apostolate in the world? Have I worked hard to establish His Kingdom in the world? Have I spread His Good News to all? Am I participating actively in Christ’s mission of preaching the gospel at home, in school, at my work place, or to my children, parents, relatives, friends and to all I come in contact with?
To answer these questions, Saint Paul in his first Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 16 to 19, and verse 22 to 23 today’s second reading, reminds us of our apostolate to be faithful to God in fulfillment of Christ’s mission of preaching and proclamation of the Gospel by saying, “Brothers and sisters: If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it!If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense?” In these words Saint Paul reminds us of our mission in the world and how to witness to God as His children and as disciples of Christ.
In today’s gospel reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark, chapter 1, verse 29 to 39, we can see what fidelity to God entails and how we can carry out Christ’s mission as His disciples. So how can we be faithful to God’s apostolate and to Christ’s missionary spirit on in the world today? We can do so by following the example of Jesus in today’s gospel reading, by ministering to God’s children in need with our help and service to them, by praying always and centering our lives on prayer, and lastly, by preaching and proclaiming the gospel of Christ to all.
So my dear friends in Christ, as God’s children and as disciples of Christ, let us obey His command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” by ministering to all, especially to those in need, by praying always to God and by teaching and proclaiming the Good News to all.
