Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter (April 25, 2018): Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist

Mark 16:15-20 contains the reason for the name “Good News Ministries.” Jesus said: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News.” In 1995, when my husband Ralph and I were commissioned to start this Catholic evangelization ministry in our local diocese, we had no idea we would be reaching out to “the whole world”.

The Feast of St. Mark is a good opportunity to share some of our experiences in ministry with you, to inspire you in whatever the Holy Spirit is calling you to do for spreading the Gospel of salvation.

Over the years, beginning early on, there have been temptations and attacks to stall or stop Good News Ministries. The first reading shows why I have always felt an urgency to keep this ministry and these daily reflections going despite every hardship. Everywhere, people are suffering and struggling in daily battles against Satan and trials and other sufferings. I want to be God’s proclaimer of the Good News about victory over evil, healing from our wounds, encouragement in holiness, and restoration from weariness.

Like you, Ralph and I have had frequent occasions of resisting the devil. By turning to the Holy Spirit for help, we’ve grown stronger in faith and persistence.

In every trial, God has restored us, confirmed us, and used the hardships to make us more compassionate, more humble, and more able to do his work well. When one ministry door gets slammed shut in our faces, God opens a new door and blesses us as we walk into unexpected opportunities. This is how our Internet ministry has grown so huge. We’ve been sharing the Good News in many ways that we had not foreseen or imagined.

For example, after the sinful behavior of our chaplain caused us to lose our local reputation, God raised us up by sending our team of three lay people across country to provide a week-long diocesan Pastoral Institute on Catholic Evangelization. He gave us a new chaplain, Monsignor Joseph Kimu, who called me to Malawi in Central Africa to teach two courses to seminarians and their professors.

Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, trying to interfere, especially when God is about to do something important and life-changing. Christians in ministry are tempted most when the devil wants us to stop what we’re doing. If you’re being harassed by unusual problems that keep popping up, praise the Lord! God is about to take you to the next level of service and growth.

If you’re suffering and are willing to turn it into a ministry for others who are likewise suffering, praise God like in Psalm 89! You are already victorious; you will be a powerful and effective instrument for God’s kingdom.

Beloved Jesus: I want to be the disciple who believes in You, does good works thanks to You and bears fruit that testifies of Your glorious presence among us. Amen.