Fr Paul reads from Mark’s Gospel (16: 9-15) in which Jesus commissions the disciples to ‘Go out to the whole world proclaim the good news to all creation’.

Fr Paul says, today’s reading comes at the very end of Mark’s Gospel and, in fact, many scholars argue that these verses were written by someone else then added to the end of Mark’s writings.  They believe this was done because they felt something was missing; that the Gospel could not just end at the tomb so these verses, we hear today, have been added.

These verses stress that what happened was completely beyond any human experience. It was beyond any human comprehension and, yet, this is what God can do.  We are also warned in this Gospel that many would not believe.  We see that, twice, the disciples would not believe those who carried the message that Christ is risen.  It was only when Jesus appeared a third time that they came to believe.

We also hear at the end of this Gospel the Great Commission, to go out and proclaim the good news to all the world.

Fr Paul says, we too struggle with things we can’t comprehend. Sometimes, we find it hard to believe a message that others might give us, but it is in faith that we need to carry this message and pass it on to others that Christ is risen. All this week we have celebrated the joy and amazement that Christ is alive, is risen, and is asking us to spread this good news to all the world.