Go and Teach All the Nations

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark
     Jesus said to his disciples:
     “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 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.”
     So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
     was taken up into 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.

     In this Gospel reading we see that the Lord is commissioning the apostles to go out and evangelize the world. Imagine the thoughts going through their minds. They had recently witnessed their teacher die on the Cross, resurrect and are now being told to go out into the world and tell others about all they have experienced. If I were in their shoes, this mission would cause me to go out of my mind. In reflecting on this, my mind is already coming up with so many questions. What do I do? What about this? What about that? So many questions. But each of these questions are just distractions.
     Just as the apostles were challenged to live out their faith, so too are we challenged to live out ours. In seminary, I find myself often thinking about this. How can I go out into the world and share my faith? CAN I even go out into the world and do this? The short answer - we can. Through His Ascension, the Lord offers us salvation. We are now saved from sin and death and have been given the keys to Heaven. Through the very act of granting St. Peter as being the rock of our Church, He laid down the foundation of eventually giving us the opportunity to be given the gift of the beatific vision in Heaven. The only question now is if we accept it?
     In seminary formation, we are taught about the four dimensions of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. These four words contain so much meaning and have become something that I have been taught to live and breathe by. I believe these words not only apply to priests, but also the lay faithful. We must learn to integrate all four of these dimensions together. The apostles had three years of “formation” with the Lord before Jesus deemed them ready to go out and evangelize. Fortunately, we have a much longer time period to work on this. The question is how we form ourselves so that we can be ready to go out and evangelize.
     We already can evangelize just through our presence. Going out into the public and being a witness is already a good way to evangelize. The ministry of presence is so much more impactful than most people think. People have to know that we are Catholic by the way that we interact with others. Another great way is being prepared to defend our faith. The world has misconceptions about our Catholic faith. The apostles had to do this all time as they went and evangelized to the Gentiles. So too are we called to do so. One great source is by reading a copy of the Catechism. 
So, as we celebrate the Ascension, let us reflect on these questions: Are we ready to go out and evangelize? What areas of the faith are we lacking in? What does being a witness of Christ look like?

About the Author: James Vu is a seminarian for the Diocese of Baton Rouge currently studying at Notre Dame Seminary (NDS) in New Orleans. His home parish is St. Thomas More and graduated from St. Michael High School before entering seminary right after graduation. He is a lover of books and literature and enjoys spending quality time with friends and brother seminarians. He loves sports and enjoys watching LSU and Saints football and playing soccer and volleyball. He is also a member of the Schola choir at NDS and occasionally plays the piano.
Coffee Order: At the seminary, I will almost always drink it black. I typically do not order coffee unless at a diner like Waffle House or IHOP, but if I had to choose one, probably something like a chai tea latte or something like that.
Who is your favorite saint at the moment and why: St. Joseph. I have always wanted to have a devotion to him because he is my Baptism saint and the fact that it is the Year of St. Joseph makes it all more special. Plus two of my favorite titles for him are Terror of Demons and Mirror of Patience. The first title seems intriguing and the second because I could use a little of that in my life.
What book are you reading right now: I am currently reading Catherine Doherty’s book Dear Father as my spiritual reading. I am also reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and planning of starting soon New Proofs for the Existence of God by Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ for personal leisure reading.
Favorite Superhero: Batman 

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The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week. If you are interested in writing a reflection, please email Nicole at [email protected].