Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 25, 2020
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.
Who would have thought that the ascension of the Lord Jesus could be narrated in one sentence? “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven.” The ascension of Jesus is such a significant event, yet so simple in the Gospel of Mark. After commissioning his eleven apostles, Jesus goes up into the heavens and sits at the right hand of the Father. He sits as if to rest; his work on this Earth is done, so he sits down to take control of his kingdom from above. Now, it is the apostles’ job to spread the word of God. That is exactly what they did, with the help of the Lord to ensure their messages are received by the people.
The power with which the Lord entrusts his believers is quite remarkable. Jesus exclaims that all who believe in him will be saved: they may cast out demons, be immune to any poison, and cure the sick. Wow. It’s impressive enough that Jesus cures the blind and the sick while he walks the lands of Israel. Now he says that all his believers can do the same? The Lord is telling us here that we can do anything when we follow his word and entrust in him. When we look through the Bible, this is a recurring theme. Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Let that sink in a bit. With the help and the strength of God, you can do ALL things. Perhaps the most important way to use God’s help is by doing the little things though, not performing miracles. The little things we do to spread the word of God add up. What little thing will you do today?
Prayer
Guide us, Lord, in your ways during these Easter days. Like St. Mark, may we share the new life you give us through water and the Spirit and so help others to know the blessings of your presence. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Saint of the Day
St. Mark is the author of the earliest record of Jesus’ life and death that we have in Scripture.
Some believe he is the young man who makes an appearance in that Gospel’s account of the arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:51-52)—the young man who was nearly captured but escaped.
Known also as John Mark, he was a follower of St. Peter and makes other appearances in the Scriptural accounts of the early Church (Acts 12:25). He and his mother were important figures in the early Christian community—his mother’s house was a gathering place for followers, for example.
He traveled with Peter to Rome and he also accompanied Paul and Barnabus, who was Mark’s cousin, to Cyprus as they preached the good news. Tradition tells that he established the Church in Alexandria where he served as bishop, founded the first famous Christian school, and was later martyred. Because of the tradition linking Mark to Egypt, he is one of the chief saints of the Coptic Christian Church.
His Gospel was composed sometime around the year 70, and it seems to have been intended for a non-Jewish audience facing persecution. Some ancient writers describe Mark as Peter’s interpreter—that Mark's Gospel was written from Peter's eyewitness account of Jesus' life.
All four of the Gospel writers are depicted with a symbol that comes from imagery in the Book of Revelation (4:7): a lion, a calf, a human, and an eagle. Mark’s emblem is the lion because his Gospel begins with a scene in the desert, and the lion is considered lord of the desert.
The city of Venice, Italy, is said to hold his body, and relics of St. Mark also rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus. Mark is depicted in several places on campus, most notably in this painting from the ceiling of the Basilica.
St. Mark, the first Evangelist to write down the story of Jesus's life—pray for us!