Truth

​Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist
Readings may be found here

​Today we celebrate St. Mark the Evangelist. The Gospel of Mark may be the shortest of the gospel accounts, but it has a genius all its own. Mark proclaimed the Lord to a Christian community experiencing great suffering and the danger of death. In that moment of darkness, Mark did not fall into easy promises. Instead, he offered and unflinching look at the agonies suffered by the Lord Jesus in the passion. In fact, scholars sometimes call his gospel a “Passion account with an introduction.” It may be counterintuitive to offer such harsh good news to people in suffering, but Mark understood the liberating truth that the Lord Jesus is with us in our agonies and that His love for us is powerfully expressed in His free embrace of the cross for our deliverance. 
 
The First Letter of Peter today references Mark. And it reminds us of the intentions of the evil one, often called the father of lies. His lie is that we are forgotten in our struggles. He whispers that we are lost, worthless, and alone. The Gospel of Mark unveils the lie and shows forth the truth that we are infinitely valuable. We are loved – loved in sweat and struggle, loved in blood and sacrifice, loved by the One Who walks with us in our struggles. 

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