We read a portion of the very end of Mark's Gospel today (Mk 16: 15- 18), a section which contains Mark's version of Jesus' final command to believers. In it Mark quotes Jesus as saying: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." Jesus then talks about baptizing those who believe-- as He does at the end of Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus commands His followers to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." But this is the only place where we see Jesus talk after His resurrection about proclaiming the "Gospel", or "the good news" as the NIV and the NRSV (the New Revised Standard Version, which Catholics in Canada use) translate Jesus' words. It is interesting that in this command, Jesus talks about making this proclaimation to "all creatures," or, again to use the NIV or NRSV, "to all creation." What does it mean to proclaim Jesus' message to "creatures" or "creation"? Is Jesus saying we should be thinking about proclaiming the Gospel in a way or context that is beyond just preaching to humans? Doesn't the answer to that question have to be "yes"? If Jesus wanted to say that we should proclaim the good news to all people, He could certainly have said that. What we would read then, we know, is that the proclaimation should be made to all "men," using the arcaic form of translation the Church still seems to favor. But whether it is "people" or "men," the point remains: Jesus could have specified a narrow universe of recipients of His message, and He did not do so. So what are we to make of the idea that the "good news" is to be proclaimed in some way that reaches "creation" or "all creatures"? How to we preach to "creation"? Of course, the answer is through our actions, which is the best way to proclaim the good news in all circumstances. We proclaim to "all creatures" in the way that we deal with the world around us. And what is the "good news" or the "Gospel" that we are to proclaim from that standpoint? Isn't it the same "good news" that we are to proclaim to people-- that God made creation and everything and everyone in it, and loves all creation, and because "all creatures" or "creation" is something God made and loves, we are to treat it with respect, dignity, and concern. Just as the Gospel tells us that people are not to be treated from the perspective of a "throwaway culture," as Pope Francis so often reminds us, "creation" is not to be treated that way either. Isn't it interesting to find in Jesus' words from 2,000 years ago a wisdom and a concern that is so current, like a treasure that was buried for 20 centuries and has just been found? Isn't it a shame that some people still can't see the connection between respect for creation and Christianity, despite Pope Francis's teaching in "Laudato Si"? Think about Jesus' command in today's Gospel the next time you are making decisions. Do you really need more plastic bottles of water? Isn't tap water just fine? Shouldn't we get into the habit of bringing our own shopping bags to Cub (which, I confess, is a real challenge for me)? Speaking more broadly, aren't we required by our Christian faith to consider whether or not voting for a particular candidate will "proclaim the good news to all creation" when we decide for whom to vote? Sometimes the Gospel can be surprisingly new, if we look at it with fresh eyes. Today's is.