Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist
There is a familiar expression, “the clothes make the man” (person). If you have watched the clothing choices of our political candidates perhaps you noticed how the wardrobe choices are influenced by the setting and the makeup of the audience. Sometimes their outfits are so different from how they normally dress you almost want to laugh.
Today’s reading from first Peter has nothing to laugh about. Peter is clear in his expectations of how a Christian needs to dress. Believers must clothe themselves with humility in their dealings with one another. Yet what does this mean? Can people dress themselves with spiritual virtue? As Christians what is our uniform? Perhaps an answer can be found in considering the purpose of uniforms.
Girl Scouts have a vest or a sash. Boy Scouts have a shirt and neckerchief. Catholic school students, nurses, doctors, police, fire and the military service personnel all have uniforms. So what is the purpose of a uniform? The word in Latin uniformis means ‘having one form.’ Consider then why a school uniform is helpful. It unifies the community into one group, into one body. This can also be said of the Eucharist, it unites us into one body. As each of us receives one and the same Christ, we are each drawn ever closer to Christ as well as one another. Communion draws us to become one body, one Spirit in Christ.
Today’s gospel represents the ending of the gospel of Mark, and in it Jesus challenges the one body, the Church, to go into the world and proclaim the good news. And even more than that the Marcan Jesus challenges the apostles to change the world, to drive out demons, to cure the sick, and to baptize all who believe. In short, the Jesus portrayed by Mark wants the whole world to be clothed in the Gospel. On this Feast of St. Mark, let us consider how we can better cloth ourselves in Christ.
Gracious God, You sent Your Son and founded the Church so that the whole world would know Your love. Help all believers put on Christ so that through every moment of our lives we reflect You, who live and reign now and forever. Amen! Alleluia!
-Michael Montgomery