Picture yourself starting a brand new project. You might want to call it mission. In a parish where most of the communicants were government workers, civilian and military, I was always hearing the word, mission. I had understood mission in a religious context. I learned that mission could have a broader meaning. Life is mission. Business is mission. Career is mission. Mission is a good word. It suggests vision that is supported by good planning. Define your mission clearly. State its purpose briefly. Write the rules for implementing it. That will be your business plan. That makes you mission ready.

The Gospel is about mission. St. Mark has a way of zeroing in on the basics. He’s very brief and to the point. Let’s get the picture. Jesus sets up a “pilot test” project. He wants to test how…