Feast of St. Mark, evangelist
Today is the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist. As we honor this Gospel writer and powerful man of God, what a great day it is to focus on our own evangelistic efforts! Let us ask God for the grace we need to be courageous, lionhearted witnesses to the wonderful Good News of Christ and to spread the warmth, light, and love of God wherever we go.
St. Mark is represented in the symbolism of the Church as a winged lion. This imagery comes from incredible scripture passages in Ezekiel and Revelation. Ezekiel recounts his spectacular vision of Four Living Creatures in the opening chapter of his book. He describes these creatures in dazzling detail, including, “As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man in front; the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle at the back” (Ezek. 1:10). St John’s vision echoes that of Ezekiel, as he describes heavenly worship, “And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures . . . the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle” (Rev. 4:6b-7). In Christian tradition, along with Mark as the lion, Matthew is depicted as the human, Luke as the ox/bull, and John as the eagle.
As we focus our attention on St Mark today, it’s worth pondering the symbol of the lion. Mark begins his Gospel with John the Baptist’s mission, describing him as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John’s voice roared his prophetic message, calling the people to repentance. Mark’s Gospel is action-packed; his writing conveys a sense of urgency and immediacy. He depicts Jesus as a strong, brave, regal, and courageous figure of action, one might say “lion-like.” Many other traditions and interesting legends exist around St Mark and his encounters with lions and angelic visions of lions.
For the purpose of this reflection, I thought it would be fun to focus on what it means to be lionhearted in our evangelistic efforts. Jesus, through our Gospel today, commands, “Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature’”. Our Lord’s charge is not only for the Eleven (Apostles), but also for us! The divine assignment Jesus gives us is non-negotiable. The Gospel must be proclaimed to every creature, throughout the entire world. We mustn’t view this task as belonging to others, somehow excusing ourselves from it or bowing out. No! You and I participate in this divine summons by virtue of our baptism. We are Eucharistic evangelists by our participation at the Lord’s Table. You and I are evangelists! This assignment feels daunting at times, for sure. We lack courage, confidence, and even at times, the capacity to communicate this life-giving message. We need the strength of a lion!
Recently, I visited the Cincinnati Zoo and stopped to admire the lions in their outdoor habitat. The male lion was lying peacefully on a grassy knoll, enjoying the warm sunny day. His eyes closed lazily, his head slightly lifted, he seemed to be enjoying the breeze in his face and the opportunity to rest. Despite his peaceful posture, I observed the power within this king of the beasts. His massive paws, muscular body, and monstrous jaws gave him away as an animal of immense strength and dynamic potential. It’s the same with us Christians, really. We have the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, the same wonder-working power that fueled the Apostles to do mighty works in Jesus’ Name and equips all men and women of God. Admittedly I don’t feel like a mighty lion very often, and indeed in my humanness I am weak and frail. But I profess with St Paul, “[God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for [God’s] power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9). The lion is a powerful animal; I am a powerful person with God’s grace at work in me, with Christ’s power upon me!
St Mark the Evangelist, pray for us that we might have lion-like courage to proclaim the Gospel by our lives – through our actions, words, prayers, and worship – all to the glory of God!
I’ll see you in the Eucharist,
Elizabeth Wells