Servant of the Word: Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist

“Saint Mark” by Guido Reni, 1621

Biographical Information about St. Mark [1]

Commentary:

Commentary on 1 Pt 5:5b-14

St. Peter, according to most scholars, probably wrote this letter just before his death in Rome (code named Babylon in our text today) between 65 and 67 A.D. This concluding part of his letter encourages humility and fidelity to the Lord in the face of persecution which comes from the devil. The mention of Mark at the end of this selection is probably referring to St. Mark the Evangelist.

"The Apostle concludes his exhortation with a call to humility, which should express itself in complete docility in the face of the trials God permits (verses 6-7). This last piece of advice is often found in Sacred Scripture: 'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you' (Psalm 55:23); Jesus also teaches that we should trust in God's fatherly providence (cf. Matthew 6:19-34). 'You have such care for each one of us', St. Augustine exclaims, 'as if you had no others to care for' ("Confessions", 3, 11)." [4]

CCC: 1 Pt 5:7 322; 1 Pt 5:8 409, 2849

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17

R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Commentary on Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17

Psalm 89 is a lament of the community. The psalmist rejoices in God’s steadfast support. God’s constant presence is established through the gift of his creation, proof of his omnipotence. The selection concludes inviting the faithful to rejoice in God’s presence and the justice of his judgement.

CCC: Ps 89 709

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Gospel: Mark 16:15-20

Commentary on Mk 16:15-20

The verse just prior to this passage, which is the ending of St. Mark’s Gospel, indicates that the disciples are still not sure what has happened (typical of the image we have of the disciples in St. Mark's Gospel). Jesus comes to them at table, rebuking them for their unbelief. That sets the stage for this commissioning address by the Lord. Once again the disciples, now Apostles, are sent into the world with God’s blessing. This action is important because it supports the universal mission of the Twelve. In response to the Lord's instructions the Apostles went into the world, accompanied by the Holy Spirit ("while the Lord worked with them"). They demonstrated the truth that is Christ risen.

CCC: Mk 16:15-16 977, 1223; Mk 16:15 888; Mk 16:16 161, 183, 1253, 1256, 1257; Mk 16:17-18 670, 1507; Mk 16:17 434, 1673; Mk 16:18 699; Mk 16:19 659, 659; Mk 16:20 2, 156, 670

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Reflection:

Today we have a little break in our on-going stories from the Acts of the Apostles as we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark. As a tribute to him we hear the very end of this shortest of the canonical Gospels. Many scholars believe St. Mark was thought to be the Mark mentioned in the reading from 1st Peter we also hear today. He was also thought to be the young man who ran away when Jesus was arrested. If these assumptions are true, he was very familiar with the Jesus story.

Although he was not as eloquent as Matthew or Luke, nor as theologically well-grounded as John, his gospel gives us a view of the disciples that seems unvarnished. St. Mark lets us identify with a group of followers who were not perfect and did not instantly understand the signs Jesus performed or the Lord’s identity as the Messiah. His portrait is very believable. It balances well against John’s Gospel in which Jesus himself (in the eyes of the author) has much more foreknowledge than he does according to St. Mark. Mark uniquely shows us Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, most clearly. Today we see Jesus’ farewell to the Apostles as he ascends to the Father.

While we are not given the formula of “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” as we are in Matthew (Matthew 28:19), we can still see the importance placed on that conversion and the indelible change it manifests in each of us.

The reading from St. Peter gives us another glimpse into the life of the early Christian community, and reminds us, as a people who share a common faith and purpose, that we are to accept that mantle with humility. It is a lesson we as a community learned again five decades ago when, following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, we dropped the "Triumphant Church" attitude of: "If you're not Catholic you're going to hell." It is a corporate learning experience many of our Protestant brethren are still struggling to learn.

We are asked to be open, inviting, and inclusive. This supports the great paradox of Christ's teaching that we must be part of the world (in order to effect change), but be separate from it to insure we retain the ideals that define us as Christian. Today we go out into the world once more and pray that our Christian identity is obvious to all we meet.

Pax

In other years: Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

[1] The picture is “Saint Mark” by Guido Reni, 1621

[2] S.S. Commemoratio