Jesus sends the 11 apostles to preach the Gospel

January 25, 2016

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Reading 1

Acts 22;3-16

3Paul addressed the people in these words: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,

but brought up in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.[1]

4I persecuted this Way to death, binding both men and women and delivering them to prison. 5Even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf. For from them I even received letters to the brothers and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem in chains for punishment those there as well.

6“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’

9My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the One who spoke to me. 10I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’

11Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light, I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus. 12“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13came to me and stood there and said, ‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’ And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.

14Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of His voice; 15for you will be His witness before all to what you have seen and heard.[2]

16Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,

calling upon his name.’”

OR Acts 9:1-22

1Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest[3] 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,

if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.[4]

3On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

5He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.”

7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.[5]

9For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. 10There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, 12and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, that he may regain his sight.”

13But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,

what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.[6] 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”

15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, 16and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.”

17So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

18Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, 19and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,[7] 20and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.[8]

21All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?”

22But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus,

proving that this is the Christ.

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalms 117:1bc, 2

R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

1bPraise the LORD, all you nations; 1cglorify Him, all you peoples!

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

2For steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

or:

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Alleluia see John 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Mark 16:15-18

15Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

17These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. 18They 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.”[9]

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Notes on Readings:

[1] Acts 22:1-21 - Paul's first defense speech is presented to the Jerusalem crowds. Luke here presents Paul as a devout Jew (Acts 22;3) and zealous persecutor of the Christian community (Acts 22;4-5), and then recounts the conversion of Paul for the second time in Acts (see the note on 

[2] Acts 22:15 - His witness: like the Galilean followers during the historical ministry of Jesus, Paul too, through his experience of the risen Christ, is to be a witness to the resurrection (compare Acts 1;8; 10:39-41; Luke 24;48).

[3] Acts 9:1-19 - This is the first of three accounts of Paul's conversion (with Acts 22;3-16 and Acts 26:2-18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke's use of different sources. Paul's experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Corinthians 15:8. The words of Jesus, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).

[4] Acts 9:2 - The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22;4; 24:14, 22. The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.

[5] Acts 9:8 - He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (compare with 26:18).

[6] Acts 9:13 - Your holy ones: literally, "your saints."

[7] Acts 9:19-30 - This is a brief resume of Paul's initial experience as an apostolic preacher. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. His acceptance by the latter was finally brought about through his friendship with Barnabas (Acts 9:27).

[8] Acts 9:20 - Son of God: the title "Son of God" occurs in Acts only here, but cf the citation of Psalm 2:7 in Paul's speech at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:33).

[9] Mark 16:9-20 - This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Luke 24 and John 20. The Shorter Ending: Found after Mark 16:8 before the Longer Ending in four seventh-to-ninth-century Greek manuscripts as well as in one Old Latin version, where it appears alone without the Longer Ending. The Freer Logion: Found after v 14 in a fourth-fifth century manuscript preserved in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, this ending was known to Jerome in the fourth century. It reads: "And they excused themselves, saying, "This age of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power of God to prevail over the unclean things dominated by the spirits [or, does not allow the unclean things dominated by the spirits to grasp the truth and power of God]. Therefore reveal your righteousness now.' They spoke to Christ. And Christ responded to them, "The limit of the years of Satan's power is completed, but other terrible things draw near. And for those who sinned I was handed over to death, that they might return to the truth and no longer sin, in order that they might inherit the spiritual and incorruptible heavenly glory of righteousness. But . . . .' "