A "Mark-Ed" Feast

Today in the Church Liturgical Calendar it is the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist!

Even though he's listed as number two on the list of Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the Gospel of Mark was number one out of the gate, writing down his inspired witness first.  Like all of the Gospels, Mark's testimony is meant for all to see and act upon, but with respect to some unique approaches, here's what I think you should consider when acting upon The Gospel of Mark:



Get Straight to the Point: Mark's Gospel, unlike the others, has a tone of impatience and urgency!  Christ doesn't seem to have time to expand or dwell on certain details, He's ready to get the ball rolling!  That is why Mark skips over the whole infancy narrative... In starting with John the Baptist announcing the coming of the Lord, Mark is ready to get right into the meat of the message!  So to must we dedicate ourselves as witnesses of the Good News... Let's get to work, and not sit around and plan when we're going to get to work.

Don't Tell Anyone:  Another interesting quirk of Mark's Gospel is his insistence that no one TELL of Christ's miracles, or actions.  Rather, he challenges us to allow for Christ to encounter each person in a their own time and space.  One example is to let community see the healed Leper, and notice that he is clean.  He even tells the Leper himself not to talk.  Let the people notice the difference, and in their own time inquire as to why.  The challenge for us is to let Christ's Presence (in us and around us) speak the Truth for itself.  The assumption is that they will ask YOU why, which is a sign of their readiness to truly know the Good News!

So let us celebrate today with a "Mark-Ed" Feast, and let's get to work at making the Gospel obvious and attractive for all to see and ask about... Just be ready to answer!