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April 30, 2023: Someone to Emulate
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You would have thought he was a traveling salesman. He got around quite a bit in the first century by walking and on boats. He spent time with Paul, with Peter, with Barnabas, and likely with other Apostles of the Lord at different times and places. He was, according to tradition, a well-liked young man, sort of like a young adult teenager who is respectful of their elders and those in authority. He was, it would be fair to say, a young man without duplicity, as Jesus said about Nathaniel, naming him a true child of Israel. What a great compliment from the Lord himself! How would you like it if Jesus told the rest of the world that you were a true Christian? What does this statement even mean? We know it’s of the complimentary sort. We know for certain there is nothing derogatory in the words “true Christian.” It’s all positive, uplifting, pointing toward someone to emulate. Maybe that’s why Jesus said what he did about Nathaniel; so that the other Apostles would hope to hear such words one day spoken about themselves too. Which would happen in the giving of their lives for Christ.
But regarding this other young man, like Nathaniel a few short years before him, it would be fair to assume he was a disciple who loved the Lord Jesus as much as Nathaniel and all the Apostles. Do we also love the Lord on par with the Apostles, minus fear in the Upper Room, or running away from him in a Garden called Gethsemane? We’ve probably had our own moments with Jesus when we ran from his presence out of fear, failing to testify to his message due to worldly forces throwing fear into our hearts. Many of us have likely been part of the “runaway crowd” that denies him in a flash, or, if not him, then some part of his Good News message of holiness, justifying some broken part of our soul. But not this young man from the 1st century. He was onboard from the start. He never jumped shipped or ran from the garden or hid himself in a Upper Locked Room trembling in fear. In fact, he was so onboard with the Good News that Jesus is raised from the dead, that he decided to write a Gospel. One of the four Gospels later accepted as part of the canon of Scripture by Church leaders in the fourth century, solidifying his place among the elite, if you will, even though he was little more than a humble servant.
Would we say the same about ourselves when looking at our reflection in the mirror? Especially the reflection that looks all the way down into our souls? Would we say about ourselves that we really put our best foot forward to be humble servants in matters of faith, morals, work, family, friendships, strangers, and all others we encounter? All those people God sends our way on any given day? Is our greater approach in life directed toward humble service? Or, is there some thing – whatever the thing is - inside our precious, future resurrected bodies that just wants to Lord it over others? Tell God’s children what to do with a sense of superiority? Like God created me for the express purpose of bossing people around?
Well, this young man from the first century had no issue with a superior attitude. He made no attempts to “tell people what to do.” His Gospel is not a treatise beginning with the words, “do this or else.” Although, if one chooses not to implement certain things written in his Gospel, then I cannot see how a person like myself can be known as a devout, devoted Christian. Or even make it to heaven. I suppose – and hope – I would allow even the smallest sense of humility that may or may not be hiding within the walls of my heart to bring my ego back to where it belongs as a devout Christian, if that’s what I am. I feel much more comfortable saying about myself, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” As far as the devout stuff goes, let God and all the truly holy people in the world decide as to whether there’s any degree of truth in those words.
Obviously, it appears I have a problem with anyone outside the Communion of Saints claiming for themselves a devout Christian status when they would more than likely run away like the Apostles did when push came to shove in our devotion to Jesus. Only those who, without question, know with 100% certainty that you would give up your life for the Lord if it came to that point, then maybe some degree of devout status can be personally claimed in the present. But even then, St. Peter seemed by all intentions 100% certain when he told Jesus he would follow him to the end…and then we know what he did on the night Christ was handed over. But thanks be to God, Peter went on to claim devout Christian status when he gave up his life for Jesus in Rome, where his bones are buried underneath the altar in the Basilica rightly named after him, not even allowing himself to be crucified in the same manner Jesus was, choosing the upside-down version of crucifixion as tradition tells us. So, if we wish to claim devout Christian status with full certainty, then this act of Peter is what it takes. As well as that of the other Apostles and thousands of others in the early Church and later Church too.
Along with Peter and others, this first century Gospel writer is recognized by God’s Church as a devout Christian. How so? Because the priest wears red vestments when celebrating his feast day, which was celebrated this past Tuesday, April 25. The friend and fellow disciple of Paul and Barnabas I obviously refer to is St. Mark. The young man who advanced in his later years to become a religious Ernest Hemingway of his time, alongside three other friends of his who had the same mission, providing God’s Church with four valid Gospels.
It would be good to know some personal things about St. Mark’s life, such as his personality, was he married, what was it specifically that drew him to the message of Christ Jesus, and such. Obviously, he was not a cradle Catholic as many of us are. Mark’s background is debated among scholars as to whether his religious background was Jewish or Gentile, with the majority claiming Gentile status for Mark. But either way, we give thanks to God for the Gospel attributed to Mark’s name. His Gospel is the shortest of the four in the canon of the Church, and because of this, most present scholars have concluded it was the first Gospel written. One that Luke and Matthew would go on to use as a source for their own Gospels, while John’s Gospel of high Christology did not likely use Mark as a source.
What Mark has blessed God’s Church with is what I would call a “running Gospel.” His writing style, of which we all have our own, is that of long sentences that run on seemingly forever, just like eternal life will. One sentence in Mark could be an entire paragraph in another Gospel. Reading Mark’s Gospel on Sundays or any day can be a challenge for any priest or deacon. Preparation is necessary so his recorded stories concerning the life of Jesus will make sense to the listener, and not be distorted through jumbled proclamation. His running Gospel makes more sense when read slowly, at a trot if you will, in the convenience of our homes, where every Catholic has their Bible. Correct?
What really runs in Mark’s Gospel is that of getting Jesus to his cross. The evangelist cannot bring the Lord to his Cross fast enough. It truly is a sprint. Why is this? It seems it would be better for all readers if Jesus was not so rushed to his cross, enjoying some of the great stories we hear proclaimed in other Gospels like Luke, such as the story of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Or, the story of our Lord’s birth in Matthew. These are such blessed stories we have in our faith, providing us rich information about the life of Jesus not to be found in Mark. Mark’s greatest concern, as he writes to a community of Christians suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus, is to bring the Lord’s life to its climax, which is his crucifixion. His dying for the salvation of the world. By doing so, Mark offers to his faith community the hope needed that their suffering is not in vain, and that they walk the same walk Jesus did, winning the prize of eternal life through his resurrection.
This young man who walked in the first century alongside St. Paul, St. Barnabas, St. Peter, and most likely a few other Apostles or disciples of Christ not recorded in the Scriptures, is most worthy of a feast day in the Church, with red vestments worn by the priest, signifying Mark’s life given to Christ in the fullest measure. This is someone to be heard and listened to. If we wish to define what it is to be a devout Christian nowadays without confusion or uncertainty, the life of St. Mark is a most splendid example. What Mark has given to the Church is something beyond precious. At the end of his days, I pray he looked back over his life and said about himself, “I am an unworthy servant. But thanks be to God, through God’s grace, I was able to build up the Church of Jesus Christ in the smallest way.” May we go and do likewise.