Saint Mark, Evangelist (Feast)

Daily Meditation: 1 Peter 5:5-14

. . . Mark, my son. (1 Peter 5:13)

A disciple named “Mark” or “John Mark” is mentioned various times in the New Testament, both by Peter and Paul. Since the name was quite common, scholars aren’t quite sure whether all the passages refer to the same person or whether this is the same Mark who wrote the Gospel bearing his name. But whether or not this man was also a coworker of Peter and Paul, we celebrate him today as the evangelist who gave the world the first inspired account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Mark wrote his Gospel around AD 70. Before then, both oral and written stories about Jesus had been passed down by those eyewitnesses who were Jesus’ first followers. But at some point, Mark decided to collect those stories and put them in chronological order. The stories he conveyed are filled with memorable details and an immediacy that can make us feel as if we are witnessing the events ourselves. There’s no doubt that Mark was a gifted writer and disciple.

But Mark was not a solo act. He had a writing partner: the Holy Spirit! According to the Catechism, “God inspired the human authors of the sacred books” (106). He chose people like Mark to write the Scriptures, and “made use of their own faculties and powers,” but “he acted in them and by them” (Vatican II, On Divine Revelation, 11).

God didn’t just “dictate” the Gospel to Mark. Nor did he drop down a book from the sky. Instead, he worked with him and through him. That’s how he works with us, too. He inspires us, guides us, and uses our gifts for his greater purpose: to build his kingdom. We might feel unworthy to partner with the Spirit of God, but our Lord doesn’t see it that way. How awesome that he puts such trust in us!

Did Mark know that his Gospel would be handed down over two millennia and read, studied, and treasured by countless people? Probably not. He simply cooperated with the Holy Spirit. In honor of this great saint, may we do the same today—and every day—in whatever way God wants to use us!

“St. Mark, thank you for writing your Gospel. Help me to trust in the Spirit as you did.”

Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Mark 16:15-20