Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist

Lectionary: 555

Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:
God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.
So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Saint Mark didn't invent the expression "good news." That honor belongs to Isaiah the Prophet, who used it twice:

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the one bringing good news,
Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, saying to Zion,
“Your God is King! (Isaiah 52:7)

and

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
release to the prisoners... (Isaiah 61:1)

Saint Luke tells us that Jesus began his ministry with the expression as he cited the latter verse from Isaiah. 

However, we credit Saint Mark for creating the literary form we know as Gospel. Until then the message which the disciples of Jesus announced throughout the Roman empire -- a message which included stories of his life, death, and resurrection as well as accounts of his parables, healings, teachings, and wonderful deeds -- was called the good news. Or sometimes, the way. It was also a mission of announcing the name of Jesus far and wide, for by his name -- and no other -- we are saved. 

Today we use the word gospel for both purposes; it's a literary form and a message of salvation. It's wonderful in any case. 

Today's first reading from 1 Peter suggests that Saint Mark was a disciple of Peter. He was known to the Apostles Barnabas and Paul, though he remained with Barnabas when there was a falling out between those two great scholar/preachers. Apparently, they quarreled about him! And then he ended up with Peter. But the name Mark was not uncommon in the Roman Empire, and there might have been several Marks among the missionaries. This question no historian will ever settle, and is not terribly important. 

So we move on to celebrate the genius of "The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," which are the proper title and first words of this historic document. The book is a temple which we enter with profound reverence; it is an invitation and challenge to recognize the overwhelming mercy of God which penetrates, illuminates, and then annihilates the profound darkness of our sins. 

The Book includes us within the passion of Jesus by describing in no uncertain terms the weakness, confusion, and cowardice of the Lord's disciples. We find ourselves within the story. It's widely believed the Evangelist wrote himself into the story, despite his being too young to have been there, with two verses: 

Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked. (Mark 14:52)

Everyone who hears and reads this Gospel must admit they also would have fled, denied, or betrayed the Lord with a kiss; for without the Spirit which had not yet been given, no one could follow the Lord's bloody footprints to Calvary. As Saint John the Evangelist tells us:

[Jesus] said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:39)

Not only does Mark describe the failure of our courage, he highlights it in yellow as he describes Peter's supercilious crowing, "Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” (Mark 14:29)

This is us, people! It hurts, but it heals also. And for that the Church will always thank and celebrate Saint Mark the Evangelist.