Breaking the Word

Mark, the Evangelist, Tuesday – 25^th 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.

3^rd Sunday of Easter – 23^rd April 2023 — Gospel: Luke 24, 13-35

Guest turns to be Host

Through all the walking and talking between Cleophas, and his unnamed companion towards Emmaus and back to Jerusalem, we never fail to attest the major change in them. It was because of their unrecognized companion Jesus, who accompanied them and accepted their hospitality to stay with them. Their walk to Emmaus must have been a dry walk indeed. It was a seven-mile walk of hopes in disaster, through the valley of disillusionment, and burdened with accusation or shame. They moved from the tellers of a sad story to tellers of a story about having seen the Risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. They become people whose hearts are burning, perhaps as the hearts of the women burned when they came up with the resurrection story.

The heart of this event, the place where the dynamic changes, is the meal in Emmaus. They offer to be hosts to their travelling companion and new friend. But as soon as the table is set, Jesus overturns the expected social roles. He becomes the host by blessing the bread and sharing it. In every sharing the risen Lord becomes guest and host simultaneously. It was in Jesus’ characteristic behaviour of giving, of feeding, and of caring for those who are hopeless, that they came to recognize him. Therefore, instead of staying in Emmaus, they were driven to move back to Jerusalem, the city where the Messiah was revealing himself. There they offered new hopes to Jesus’ other followers: ‘They had seen the Lord, as He had prophesied truly, and the restored hope is that Israel might be redeemed.’