Mark, the Evangelist, Tuesday – 25th April 2023 – 1 Peter 5,5-14; Mark 16, 15-20
Friend of the Gospel
Mark is not one among the 12 apostles but a sojourner with Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey. He is the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4,10) and a fellow worker of Paul (Phil 1,24). The Gospel in his name is the oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels, more vivid and informal in nature. Mark through his gospel has spelled out the challenge for followers of Christ to imitate him in living out their discipleship and fulfilling the missionary command to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. A winged lion is Mark’s symbol. He describes John the Baptist as a “voice of one crying out in the desert” (Mk 1,3), a lion roaring out the Good News.
Most of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. Some scholars identify that he describes himself as a ‘young man’ who escaped naked in the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane (Mk 14,51-52). When Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark’s mother (Acts 12,12). In the missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas, Mark returned alone to Jerusalem for some personal reasons. Because of which Paul refused to take him for the second journey despite Barnabas’s insistence (Acts 15,37-39). However, later Paul asks Mark to visit him in prison (2 Tim 4,11). Peter also became a friend of Mark and calls him “my son” (1 Pet 5,13).
In the first reading, Peter writes instructions to a community that is facing persecution and trials. He writes that there is danger beyond physical persecution. Following ‘the Way’ often includes being tempted by the devil. The devil, the real enemy of a Christian, is prowling around like a lion looking for prey. If we remain faithful to God, God will be faithful to us by restoring us, strengthening us, and edifying us even as we suffer difficulties.
