St Mark, Evangelist

[CENTRO ANTI-BLASFEMIA]

Sunday, 25 April 2010
St Mark, Evangelist



SAINT MARK
Evangelist
(1st century)

St. Mark was converted to the faith by the Prince of the
Apostles, whom he afterwards accompanied to Rome, acting there as his
secretary or interpreter. When St. Peter was writing his first epistle
to the churches of Asia, he affectionately joins with his own
salutation that of his faithful companion, whom he calls "my son
Mark."

The Roman people entreated St. Mark to put in writing for them
the substance of St. Peter's frequent discourses on Our Lord's life.
This the Evangelist did under the eye and with the express sanction of
the apostle, and every page of his brief but graphic gospel so bore
the impress of St. Peter's character, that the Fathers used to name it
"Peter's Gospel"

St. Mark was now sent to Egypt to found the Church of
Alexandria. Here his disciples became the wonder of the world for
their piety and asceticism, so that St. Jerome speaks of St. Mark as
the father of the anchorites, who at a later time thronged the
Egyptian deserts. Here, too, he set up the first Christian school, the
fruitful mother of many illustrious doctors and bishops.

After governing his see for many years, St. Mark was one day
seized by the heathen, dragged by ropes over stones, and thrown into
prison. On the morrow the torture was repeated, and having been
consoled by a vision of angels and the voice of Jesus, St. Mark went
to his reward.

It is to St. Mark that we owe the many slight touches which
often give such vivid coloring to the Gospel scenes, and help us to
picture to ourselves the very gestures and looks of our blessed Lord.
It is he alone who notes that in the temptation Jesus was "with
the beasts;" that he slept in the boat "on a pillow;" that he
"embraced" the little children.
He alone preserves for us the commanding words "Peace, be still!"
by which the storm was quelled; or even the very sounds of his voice,
the "Ephpheta" and "Talitha cumi," by which the dumb were made to
speak and the dead to rise.
So, too, the "looking round about with anger," and the "sighing
deeply," long treasured in the memory of the penitent apostle, who was
himself converted by his Saviour's look, are here recorded by his
faithful interpreter.



Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]







©Evangelizo.org 2001-2010


http://www.dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=saintfeast&localdate=20100425&id=10211&fd=0

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