Posted by The WORD in other words (2023) by Fr. Samuel Agcaracar, SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
Feast of Saint Mark, the Evangelist – April 25
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Today is the feast of St. Mark, the author of the second gospel. He was baptized and instructed by St. Peter; hence, he acted as his companion, disciple, and interpreter. According to patristic opinion, Mark was present at Peter’s preaching in Rome and wrote his gospel. However, little is known of Mark’s later life. Scholars agree that he died a martyr’s death as bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice, where a worthy tomb was erected in St. Mark’s Cathedral.
The Gospel reading provides the basis of what we call the “Great Commission.” Jesus, before his ascension to heaven, commissioned his apostles with a particular mission. This mission has three major components: a) go out to the world; b) proclaim the gospel; c) every creature.
Go out to the world. This command represents the universal scope of the Church’s mission. Thus, we can only realize such a mission in the spirit of openness to engage with the rest of humanity. That’s why today, the Church uses the language of dialogue. Vatican II documents stress the need to reach out to the culturally and religiously Others. In the language of Pope Francis, we need to go out to the peripheries and be creators of the culture of encounter. Without this, we can never be faithful to Jesus’ command.
Proclaim the Gospel. The Word of God is the primary source of our Christian faith. The gospel is the very heart of God’s Word. Thus, the fundamental mission of the Church is to share the good news. Vatican II Lumen Gentium says that the Church is a light to the nation in so far as she draws her light from Christ, the Gospel. For this, Christians must, foremost, be bearers of the gospel. In the past, mission was geared toward philanthropic ventures such as building orphanages, hospitals, schools, and other programs. While these were noble initiatives, the absence of their evangelical flavor could also blur the authentic spirit of the Church’s mission, which is fundamentally a proclamation of the good news.
Every creature. God’s salvific plan includes the whole universe. While we recognize that human beings play a vital role in the salvation of humanity, we need to realize that this could only be possible within the purview of cosmic redemption. The tremendous impacts of global warming remind us that humanity’s salvation is impossible away from the care of our common home.
The mission entrusted to the apostles is the same mission entrusted to the Church. As Christians, baptism empowers us to participate actively in this daunting task. Amid our difficulties, we can draw inspiration from St. Mark’s account: “They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” Indeed, we can be confident that the Holy Spirit will always be at our side.
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