THE HUMILITY OF ST. MARK - 04/25/23 (Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist)

Mark 16:15–16

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042523.cfm

Blessed Feast of St. Mark! Little is known for St. Mark, one of the gospel authors. And yet, we can also know more about the author by reading their works. Even though he was not part of the original 12 disciples, he was given the responsibility of writing an account of the life of Jesus. For a person to be chosen to preach the gospel, humility is a virtue that is truly necessary. God humbles the proud, and He exalts the humble. By looking at the gospel reading for today, we can understand more the humility of St. Mark. The humility of St. Mark is shown in at least three ways. 

First, it was the humility of St. Mark that enabled him to believe the gospel. Jesus told His apostles that those who were baptized and who believed in His gospel would be saved. St. Mark was a Jew, and the fact that he was not part of the 12 disciples meant that he became a follower of Christ by being baptized and by believing that the teachings of Christ were true. Sometimes, it's pride that hinders us from repentance. It's pride that blocks our minds from knowing that the teachings of Jesus and the Church will lead us to eternal life. Some people may feel hurt when the teachings of the Church are contrary to their lifestyle. And yet, just as how Jesus was continuously guiding the apostles, He is still speaking to us through the Church today. Humility will lead us to accept the truth about ourselves that we are sinners who are inclined to commit sins and hold onto wrong beliefs if we reject the grace of God. And, humility will teach us to trust that Jesus is the Truth, and what He teaches us, even if it's difficult, is for our own good. Let's pray to God that we may be humble so that we will experience true conversion in every day of our lives. 

Second, it was the humility of St. Mark that helped him to trust in the providence of God. During the time of the apostles and St. Mark, many Christians were being persecuted and killed because of the faith. If we see such a culture and environment, some of us may doubt whether the Catholic faith will spread or not. And yet, despite the persecution, St. Mark continued in writing the gospel. He was even martyred. Still, he trusted what our Lord said, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." Despite the problems, St. Mark trusted that the gospel would be received by many people around the world even though he could not immediately see the results of such conversions. It's because humility is not just about recognizing our littleness, but it's also about trusting that the will of God will always prevail. How about us? Sometimes, we may be discouraged when we see that the ideologies, such as same-sex marriage, contraception, abortion, etc., that are contrary to the teachings of the Church are being promoted. When we see that our friends and family members do not practice the faith, we may lose hope. Let's trust that the gospel of Jesus will be victorious no matter what happens in this world because God is with us. 

Lastly, the humility of St. Mark led him to be vigilant against the temptations of the devil. Our Lord Jesus was clear that those who did not believe would be condemned. It's because by intentionally rejecting the faith and committing mortal sins, the people would reject the mercy of God for them. Because of this, we should not be surprised when the devil tempts us to commit sins or to reject the teachings of the Church. Even St. Mark was tempted by demons to reject the faith. According to the traditions, St. Mark became the bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. However, after 20 years of ministering them, the Alexandrian people arrested him and tortured him to death. By God's grace, even though he was tempted to give up the faith, he became firm, and he entered the Kingdom of heaven because of his faith. It's his humility that strengthened his faith in our Lord. Do we have the thoughts in our minds to commit sins? Are we influenced by other people to not live out the Catholic faith? Let's be vigilant and turn to prayer immediately. May we tell our Lord that we believe in the gospel and in the Catholic Church. Let's also ask for strength to be firm in doing what is right. Let's be humble, and we will receive the power and the wisdom of God. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

To know more about St. Mark, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/april-25---saint-mark-the-evangelist/

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth