Weekday Saints. Mark G. Boyer
words he inspires his prophet to speak to his people.
Once she understands the sign that indicates that “nothing will be impossible with God” (1:37), Mary accepts Gabriel’s annunciation, declaring, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (1:38). Luke quickly brings to an end this annunciation that parallels the one of Gabriel announcing to Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will conceive in her old age and give birth to John the Baptist (1:5–25). Gabriel leaves the gospel never to reappear.
We receive announcements all the time. Most of our wedding announcements, graduation announcements, birth announcements, etc. come through ground mail or e-mail. Modern angels visit us in modern ways and deliver God’s words to us. A few words from a homily may spark our thoughts about something we need to do for our spiritual lives. A newspaper article may get us to write that check as a donation to a worthy cause that we have been putting off for a few weeks. An Internet story may urge us to seek more information about a religious topic about which we have always wondered. God sends announcements to us in many ways; we, like Mary, must be ready to receive them.
Meditation: What recent announcement have you received from God? What action did it spark you to take?
Prayer: Most High God, you sent your angel Gabriel to Mary of Nazareth to announce the conception and birth of your Son. Help us to hear your word in the Scriptures, in preachers and teachers, and in each other. Grant us the favor to respond through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
April 25: Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist
Love
1 Peter 5:5b–14
Scripture: “Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark” (1 Pet 5:13).
Reflection: The first biblical passage assigned for the Feast of St. Mark is the last ten verses of the first letter of Peter, written at the end of the first century or early in the second century AD to those Christians, “brothers and sisters in all the world . . . undergoing . . . suffering” (5:9), that is, undergoing persecution in Roman provinces. The letter is written “to encourage” the readers and “to testify that this [suffering] is the true grace of God” (5:12) in which they should stand fast. Believing in an imminent return of Christ, the author exhorts his readers to endure their suffering for a short time because “the God of all grace, who has called [them] to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish [them]” (5:10).
Biblical scholars do not think that the historical Peter—who was martyred between 64 and 68 AD—wrote this letter, but a high ranking church official, possibly living in Rome—identified as the “sister church in Babylon” (5:13)—wrote it in Peter’s name to establish his authority to address Christians on certain issues. The writer’s secretary is named Silvanus, a faithful brother or fellow believer.
Today’s passage contains the last verses of the household duties of elders, more specifically, the humility they need in dealing with one another, especially in time of anxiety. The author tells them to discipline themselves, to keep alert. “Like a roaring lion [the] adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (5:8). A bit of irony may be present in this verse for those who know that Mark’s Gospel is represented in popular iconography by a winged lion. Of course this is not the only irony contained in this feast; see the entry on Mark 16:15–20 below.
The major reason this passage is chosen for the Feast of St. Mark is because it mentions the name “Mark” (5:13). According to an unreliable tradition, Mark, which means “brave,” is mentioned as an associate of Peter in Rome. However, because the name Mark was as common a Roman name in the first and second century as John is today, whoever is being referred to in 1 Peter is most likely not the same person who wrote Mark’s Gospel.
The instruction to “greet one another with a kiss of love” (5:14) reminds the readers that they are identified by their “genuine mutual love” (1:22) as a household or family. Earlier in the letter, readers are commanded, “Love the family of believers” (2:17), and “[M]aintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” (4:8). The refrain of Peter Scholtes’ hymn, “They’ll Know We Are Christians,” captures this sentiment: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
The love that 1 Peter writes about is not the sappy sentimentality or the emotional-laden feeling or the general “I love everything” that the word “love” carries with it today. 1 Peter understands love as the sacrifice of self for the good of others. In other words, mutual love indicates that others come first, before the self. Such sacrificial love imitates Jesus, who loved us all the way to the cross.
Meditation: Where do you find genuine sacrificial love in your Christian community?
Prayer: Almighty God, you loved the world so much that you sent your only Son to save it. Jesus taught and lived sacrificial love, opening his arms on the cross. Grant that we may imitate his example and so share in the promise of Mark’s Gospel. We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Irony
Mark 16:15–20
Scripture: [Jesus said to the Eleven,] “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
Reflection: If one opens his or her Bible to Mark’s Gospel, chapter 16, he or she will quickly notice that it has three endings. Biblical scholars have determined that the original ending is 16:8. Another verse is added to 16:8 to form the shorter ending of Mark. And verses 9 through 20 form the longer ending of Mark. All three endings are canonical.
The irony of the Feast of St. Mark is that whoever wrote the rest of the gospel did not write the passage assigned to be read today. The pericope for today is a part of the longer ending of Mark which differs in style and emphasis from the rest of the gospel. The longer ending seems to be a compilation of the endings of Matthew’s Gospel, Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, and John’s Gospel, echoing the Emmaus story, the great commissioning, the ascension, and more. It also contradicts Jesus’ refusal to give signs in Mark’s Gospel by portraying him now giving signs to those who believe.
Besides the irony found in the gospel reading, irony is present in celebrating this feast
of a gospel writer, whoever he was, about whom we know absolutely nothing. We know that someone had to write Mark’s Gospel, but the author is forever lost in human history, since this gospel did not have a name until the second century.
Throughout the Bible, we find God’s irony, and maybe that is what we are celebrating on this feast of St. Mark. God’s irony is found throughout biblical literature. God calls Abraham and Sarah to be the parents of a multitude of people, except that Sarah is barren. God calls Moses to lead his people out of slavery to freedom, except that Moses has a speech impediment. God calls Peter to be the closest of Jesus’ companions, except that Peter denies knowing Jesus three times—in every gospel.
The truth of this feast might be found in the irony of our own lives. If we gaze deeply into our own lives, we might find God’s irony written there with big letters. Sometimes, God’s irony comes through illness of any kind. The very illness that weakens us also strengthens our faith and our commitment to God. At other times, God’s irony comes financially. How many times have we heard people tell us that the more we give away, the more it comes back to us? And God’s irony may come through our personal relationships. The person we can fight with the best is often the person we love the most.
See, God’s truth can shine through the irony of our lives. As we celebrate this feast we do well to reflect upon God’s irony in our lives and the truth it teaches us. Then, we will have connected ourselves to the irony found in the Bible and the irony inherent in this feast of St. Mark.
Meditation: What irony in your life reveals God at work there?
Prayer: