Dear friends in Christ,
Tomorrow the church celebrates the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. As with the other evangelists, we give thanks for their witness in the gospels and we hope to draw inspiration so that we too might proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of St. Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. The story moves quickly, almost breathlessly. A seminary classmate of mine memorized the entire Gospel, and he used to travel and recite the entire Gospel of St. Mark from memory. It took just over an hour, and though everyone knew what was going to happen, the audience would be on the edge of their seats. “And immediately…” keeps the reader going at a brisk pace.
The urgency of St. Mark’s witness is palpable. We modern Christians might learn something from this and make haste to share the Good News of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is in this Gospel that Jesus commands his followers to preach the Gospel to the whole creation.
Some years ago, I traveled to Venice. There you can visit St. Mark’s basilica, where tradition says that the body of St. Mark is kept. I find it very inspiring to visit the sites of veneration of biblical figures; somehow this connects for me the ancient and the modern, the heavenly and the earthly. To venerate the relics of St. Mark is to profess faith that the evangelists were living, breathing people with a living story to proclaim.
How will you celebrate tomorrow’s feast day? You can read the whole of St. Mark’s Gospel in one sitting. Perhaps you’ll do that! Or maybe you will consider how his witness might inspire you to be an evangelist in your community.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
Challenge yourself to read this Gospel: A Journey with Mark Bible Challenge
Meditate on the Easter season each Sunday at 50days.org
Follow the story of scripture from beginning to end: The Path
Free curriculum to learn about scripture: Exploring the Bible