God’s Plan of Salvation
February 6, 2025 - Thursday, Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Reflection on Mark 6:7-13
In the 19th century, St. Anthony Mary Claret observed, “Societies have become weak and are starving because they have ceased to receive the daily bread of God's Word” (Autobiography 450). His words ring true even today. Without the nourishment of God’s truth, our world struggles with spiritual hunger, searching for meaning in all the wrong places.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus' disciples “went off and preached repentance” (Mark 6:12). This call to conversion is at the heart of God's plan of salvation—a plan that stretches across time and eternity. As Isaiah reminds us, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Is. 53:6). But God's desire is to bring everything together in Christ (Eph. 1:10), restoring what was lost and calling humanity back to Himself.
St. Paul outlines this divine plan in three key stages:
It began in eternity, before the foundation of the world, when God chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight (Eph. 1:4-6).
It was fulfilled in history, on the hill of Golgotha, where Jesus offered His life for our redemption (Eph. 1:7-12).
It becomes personal, when we respond in faith, accepting the message of the Gospel and being sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism (Eph. 1:13-14).
Knowing this, we—like the first disciples—are sent to share God’s plan of salvation with the world. Up until now, Jesus had been the one teaching and healing, but in today’s Gospel, He entrusts His mission to His followers. He sends them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits and calling them to rely completely on God’s providence—“Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money” (Mark 6:8). They had to learn firsthand that the power of the Gospel does not depend on human resources but on trust in God. And Jesus prepared them for setbacks too—not everyone would accept their message, and they would have to move on when rejected.
St. Anthony Mary Claret reminds us, “Every plan of salvation will be sterile unless there is a return to the fullness of the great, catholic Word” (Autobiography 450). These words speak powerfully in our own time, where so many have drifted from the truth, distracted by fleeting pleasures and empty promises. The need for faithful witnesses has never been greater.
God has revealed to us the mystery of His will: to unite all things in Christ. We have been given the gift of adoption, becoming God’s beloved children. Yet, countless people still walk in darkness, longing—perhaps unknowingly—for the Good News. It is our mission to share it, so that all may come to experience “every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (Eph. 1:3).
Let us step forward with confidence, knowing that the same God who called the disciples sends us out today. The world is waiting. Will we answer the call?