Today marks the end of the Easter Season. Fittingly, the two readings are taken from the last verses of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel according to John, respectively.

Acts ends with a description of Paul as a prisoner for Christ in Rome, where he spent the last two years of his life preaching Christ to those who came to him. In the gospel reading we hear the resurrected Christ telling Peter: You are to follow me.

Missionary history tells us that both Paul and Peter died in Rome as martyrs, that is, witnesses of the Word. The Apostles were missioned by Christ to spread the good news to all humankind. The Spirit of the Risen Lord guided and protected the missionaries so that they could freely proclaim Jesus, son of God and Saviour of the world, as Paul did in prison in Rome (Acts 28:30, 31).

This happened two thousand years ago; Christ is still missioning now. Despite hardships and persecutions, like Paul, we missionaries are free. Truth has set us free (cf. John 8:32) and the Lord is with us.

Let us ponder our mission: in what aspects of my life does Christ call me to proclaim him? In family, workplace, social communities; among friends, neighbours, the disfranchised...?