Make disciples of all nations

SUNDAY – ASCENSION – 24 MAY (Mt 28,16-20)

With the mystery of the glorious ascension of Jesus into heaven in body and soul, the visible mission of Christ Jesus ends. Now his invisible mission begins. It is made by the invisible presence of his Person, through which the Father works in the Spirit, and by the visible presence of his body, which is the Church, in which the Father always works, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus saying to his disciples: “I am with you every day, until the end of the world”, means that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit will be with the disciples, if the disciples will be in Christ Jesus. How will they be in Christ Jesus? In the same way that Christ Jesus is in the Father, in the unity and communion of the Holy Spirit. Christ Jesus is in the Father by nature and by will. Even the disciple must remain in Christ by nature – he is with Christ one body by the work of the Holy Spirit – and by will – obeying every Word of Jesus the Lord, by motion and guide of the Holy Spirit. If the disciple separates himself from the grace and truth of Christ Jesus, he will be alone, terribly alone, and no mission of salvation can be accomplished for him. The work of salvation is done for him if it is done in him. It is fulfilled in him if he lives in the love of the Father, in the grace of Christ Jesus and in the communion of the Holy Spirit. The eternal and unchangeable truth.

But what does the mission that the disciples will have to accomplish consist in? It essentially consists in four commands to be observed. Note well. It is neither a matter of advice, nor of modalities left to their free will, intelligence, training and or anything else. Perfect obedience must always be given to the command. If they obey they accomplish the mission, if they do not obey, they go into the world only to shake the wind or to play with the dust. They may also not believe, absurdly. But they must obey. The life of Jesus was obedience to every command from the Father. The life of the Apostles must be obedience to every command of Christ Jesus. Also because the fourth command given to them by Jesus orders them to teach those who will become disciples how to live every Word said by their Master and Lord. It becomes impossible to teach the disciples if the first three commands are not observed. The disciples do not even exist, because they were not made by them. The first command requires that the disciples go to the world, to every place and corner of the earth. Going is command. Stopping is disobedience. Who goes, obeys. Who does not go, disobeys, With this first disobedience, every other command falls and dies. You  might not obey.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The second command orders that all peoples, none excluded, be made disciples of Jesus. In front of a command of Jesus there are no reasons either of a philosophical, theological, psychological, anthropological or other nature that can cancel the order received. Making disciples, always according to the rules of the Gospel, never according to human rules, is the  command. However, man might refuse to become a disciple. In this case the apostle is no longer responsible for his eternal perdition. The third command requires that everyone who accepts the Gospel is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Professors, teachers, doctors, apostles, prophets, evangelists, ministers of the word and every other disciple of Jesus must know that these commands are binding forever and ever. The command is not the fruit of our mind. It is not an elaboration of our heart. The command is order. The order must be executed. It is true betrayal of the Gospel to deny these three commands. Even because there is also the fourth one that asks to teach the disciples how to live the Gospel. How might we teach how to live the Gospel and to whom, if the first three commands are disregarded? If today the mission is in serious crisis it is because of disobedience to these four commands of the Lord. Disciples are not made. People are not baptized. Nobody teaches.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, ensure that every Christian obeys every Word of Jesus.