04/25/2026
https://hallow.app.link/QDvaryL1B2b
Hello, and welcome. I'm Jeff Cavins with today's Daily Reflection.
Today's reading is from the Gospel of Mark 16, Christian Rookie Mistakes.
Let's pray.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.
He said to them, 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 the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You know, when email and texting first became a thing, there were a lot of rookie mistakes made, like replying to an email. 10 people
were on the email string, and you were bothered by something that one of your colleagues said, and you wanted to point it out to
another colleague on the string, but you replied to all.
Rookie mistake.
Everyone makes them.
The key is that they're highly correctable once recognized, and avoiding them is one of the fastest ways to level up in any discipline.
In the period right after Jesus' resurrection, we see that the disciples made their—what we could call—one of their first rookie mistakes.
Mary Magdalene saw Jesus and told his companions, but they didn't believe.
The two on the Emmaus Road saw Jesus and told the others, but they didn't believe them either.
Rookie mistakes.
Can you imagine that for a moment, not believing?
Now let's be honest.
Aren't you glad that we are looking at these stories from our modern perspective?
We can see that it really was Jesus who appeared to them.
There is an advantage to reading these stories with two thousand years separating us from the story, and that is that we—well, we—see the whole
picture and would never ever see ourselves as making these rookie mistakes that the disciples made.
Now, you know I'm kidding.
Later, when Jesus joined the 11, he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him
after he had been raised.
Maybe I read this in a funny way, but it appears that the next thing he says after rebuking them is basically now get out
of here and go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Now to be honest with you, that seems like a big move from not believing to going into the whole world and proclaiming the gospel.
I can only conclude that they learned their lesson at that table, and it was time to get to work.
Now here is what I would like to dwell on today, the word proclaim.
Jesus didn't culminate his ministry with the command to create small groups even though they're very good.
He didn't command them to have pancake breakfasts even though they are good, especially with real syrup.
He commands them to do what? To proclaim.
This word proclaim is related to a word that I often use in these daily reflections, and that is the word kerygma, a Greek word.
The kerygma is the proclamation of the good news.
Now what I find interesting about Jesus' command is that he simply says, go and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
He doesn't take the time in this gospel to spell out what the gospel is.
It's implied that they knew, and I think they did.
The early Church knew the gospel.
They memorized the gospel, and they knew how to communicate the gospel in various situations.
The gospel was not their opinion. It wasn't something that they voted on.
It wasn't a social movement.
The gospel, the good news, was the ultimate message from heaven that cut through the depression and anxiety of the people.
The Gospel cut through the division and knocked down the walls between people.
The gospel was the map to eternal life and gave the key to life here on Earth.
Allow me to take a moment to repeat what the gospel, the kerygma, is, and I'll do this in seven steps.
And as I share this with you, please know that I'm not asking you to just share exactly every word one after the other, but
it provides a framework for discussion with other people, and the more you do it, the more you're going to be comfortable sharing the gospel
and be more sensitive to the situation of the people that you are talking to.
I have made it my life, and I can tell you it's what makes all the difference as a disciple is seeing people respond to
the gospel and watching their life transformed. It's amazing.
What is the gospel? Number one, God loves you and has a plan for your life.
My friend, that's the truth.
Number two, sin will destroy you and ruin God's plan for your life.
Again, that's the truth.
Number three, Christ Jesus died to save you. That's the truth.
Number four, repent and believe the gospel.
Another way to put it is to radically reorient your life to Jesus.
That's the truth.
Number five, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
That's the truth.
And number six, abide in Christ and his body, the Church.
That's the truth. And then number seven, we come full circle.
Go and make disciples now. That's the truth.
My friend, we've talked a lot about different things all these years together, but I want you to know those seven things.
That is the gospel.
Now what we need to do is figure out how we are going to adapt our language to the situations and people we meet.
That, my friend, is the art of evangelization.
There is no sneaky way to do it. There's not an easier way.
There is no magic.
It's a straightforward command that is left in our lap.
We can choose to do it, excuse it away, or ignore it, but one day we will give an account for our life.
And on that day, I promise you, we will be very aware that this message was the most important message during our time on Earth,
and we would do anything for a do over.
Oftentimes, Acts chapter four is coupled with the gospel reading for today, knowing that many of us will use as an excuse that we don't
know enough to tell people the good news, the Church placed Acts four as the text complementing the Gospel many times.
Now Sunday is the day that we meditate on the relationship between the Old Testament reading and the gospel, but I find it interesting nonetheless
that something from Acts four speaks to today's gospel.
The gospel tells us to go into the world and proclaim the gospel.
Acts chapter four says that common, uneducated men were identifiable as being with Jesus, and a good portion of this is by what they said.
They shared the gospel.
And as one of those men, I can tell you that I have figured out how to talk to people about the Lord.
It's a matter of authenticity, transparency, humility, passion, love for people, and a desire, of course, to please the Lord.
Now, with that in mind, I encourage you to face your day, look for opportunities to meet broken people and people who need to hear
the good news and know this.
The power to change their heart is not in your cleverness or your skill in arguing.
The power is actually in the words of the gospel.
It cuts to the heart, and the Holy Spirit works with us.
We're not alone.
We're working with the Holy Spirit. He just needs people to proclaim this. You can do it. You can do it. I know you can.
I know you can. I'm Jeff Cavins, and that's today's Daily Reflection.
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Check out the "Apr 25: Christian Rookie Mistakes!" session in Hallow:The Joyful Mysteries
St. John Paul II said, “To meditate upon the joyful mysteries is to enter into the ultimate causes and the deepest meaning of Christian joy. Mary leads us to discover the secret of Christian joy, reminding us that Christianity is, first and foremost “good news”, which has as its heart and its whole content the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the one Savior of the world.”
Apostles' Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Petitions
For an increase in the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity:
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
(x3)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
1. First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation.
The Angel Gabriel greets Mary and tells her she is to be the mother of God. Mary replies, "I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Contemplate Mary's answer to God's call as we pray.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
(x10)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell;
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
2. Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation
Mary sets out to stay and care for her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist. Elizabeth greets her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
Meditate on these words as we pray.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. (x10)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell;
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
3. Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity
An angel appears to shepherds at night saying to them: “Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
And that night they see God, born in a manger in Bethlehem.
Imagine this scene and this joy as we pray.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. (x10)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell;
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
4. Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple
Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple and meet Simeon - a man to whom God had revealed that he would not die until he had met the Savior.
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Place yourself in this scene as we pray.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. (x10)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell;
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
5. Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple
Jesus went missing for three days. They "found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, 'Child, why have you treated us like this?'"
"He said to them, 'Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?'”
Enter into this passage through Mary and Joseph's eyes as we pray.
Our Father
Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. (x10)
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell;
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy Mercy.
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this, our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by His life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
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