FEAST OF ST MARK, APRIL 25, 2026
- Olivia M. Bannan
- Apr 25
- 2 min read
Gospel
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole worldand proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe:in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
REFLECTION
But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
Mark the Evangelist was also known as John Mark. The winged lion (the wings are associated with Ezekiel's vision of four winged creatures) is his symbol as well as the symbol of Venice.
He was the cousin of Barnabas and accompanied Paul and Barnabas on his first missionary journey. The Acts of the Apostles reports there was a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas about taking Mark on a missionary journey, due to Mark's earlier desertions (Acts 15:36-41). St Paul recognized the value of St Mark and asked for his presence in his prison in Rome, showing that the relationship between them was restored (2 Timothy 4, 11).
He was a disciple of Peter, and his gospel is told from Peter's point of view. St Mark founded the Church in Alexandra, becoming the first Bishop. .
Mark wrote the first Gospel to focus on Jesus's ministry as the suffering Son of God. It is also the shortest. It is 16 chapters. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus's rejection by humanity while being God's triumphant envoy. His Gospel is the only one to record Jesus healing a blind man in two distinct stages.
He had a Jewish name, John, and a Roman name, Mark. Many scholars think he was the anonymous young man who fled naked during the arrest of Jesus in Mark 14:51-52.
His house in Jerusalem is believed to be the site of the last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the disciples gathered after the Resurrection.
Mark was tied up with ropes and dragged through the cobblestone streets of Alexandria until his body was ripped. His body was stolen from Alexandria in 828 and taken to Venice, which adopted him as its patron saint.
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