Tag: stmarktheevangelist

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on DISCIPLESHIP, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – St Mark

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Saturday of the Second Week of Easter, Readings: 1 Peter 5:5-14, Psalm 89(88):2-3,6-7,16-17, Mark 16:15-20 and the Memorial of St Mark the Evangelist and St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur OFB (1626-1667) “St Francis of Assisi of the Americas”

Jesus said to the Eleven, “go out to the whole world and the proclaim the gospel to all creation.”…Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – “Lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees” (Heb 12:12; Is 35:3).   The chief points of Saint Mark’s history are these—first, that he was … taken with Saint Barnabus and Saint Paul on their first apostolic journey;  next, that after a short time he deserted them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 15:38);  then, that after an interval, he was Saint Peter’s assistant at Rome (1 Pt 5:13) and composed his Gospel there principally from the accounts which he received from that Apostle;  lastly, that he was sent by Peter to Alexandria, in Egypt, …. here he proved himself, not merely an ordinary Christian but a most resolute and exact servant of God, founding and ruling that strictest Church of Alexandria … And the instrument of this change was, as it appears the influence of Saint Peter, a fit restorer of a timid and backsliding disciple.
The encouragement which we drive from these circumstances in St Mark’s history is, that the feeblest among us, may, through God’s grace become strong.
And the warning to be drawn from it is, to distrust ourselves and again, not to despise weak brethren, or to despair of them but to bear their burdens and help them forward if so be, we may restore them.” …
The history of Moses supplies us with an instance of a proud and rash spirit, tamed down to an extreme gentleness of deportment … “the meekest of men on earth “ (Nb 12:3).   St Mark’s history affords a specimen of the other and still rarer change, from timidity to boldness. … St Mark’s change, therefore, may be considered even more astonishing in its nature, than that of Moses.   “By faith,” he was “out of weakness made strong,” (cf. Heb 11:34).” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) PPS, vol 2, no 16mark 16 15 jesus said go out to the whole world - he proved himself - st john henry newman 25 april 2020

PRAYER – Almighty God, You chose the Evangelist St Mark and ennobled him with grace, to preach the Gospel.   Let his teaching so improve our lives and his prayers so support us, that we may walk faithfully in his footsteps, which are the footsteps of Christ our Lord.   We beg too for the intercession of St Pedro de San Jose de Betancur (1626-1667), Your faithful servant.   Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st-mark-pray-for-us-25-april-2018

st pedro of st joseph betancur pray for us 25 april 2020

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Posted in SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Feast of St Mark the Evangelist and Memorials of the Saints – 25 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Mark the Evangelist (Feast) Also known as John Mark (Born 1st century – Martyred 25 April 68 at Alexandria, Egypt) – The Winged Lion.
St Mark:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist/

And:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist-solemnity/

St Agathopodes of Antioch
Bl Andrés Solá Molist
St Anianus of Alexandria
Bl Antonio Pérez Lários
St Callista of Syracuse
St Clarentius of Vienne
St Ermin of Lobbes
St Evodius of Syracuse
St Franca Visalta
St Giovanni Battista Piamarta FN (1841 – 1913)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-saint-giovanni-battista-piamarta-fn-1841-1913/

St Heribaldus of Auxerre
St Hermogenes of Syracuse
Bl José Trinidad Rangel y Montaño
St Kebius
St Macaille
St Macedonius
St Mario Borzaga
St Pasicrate of Mesia
St Paul Thoj Xyooj
St Pedro de San Jose Betancur/ St Peter of St Joseph de Betancurt OFB (1626-1667) “St Francis of Assisi of the Americas”

St Phaebadius of Agen
St Philo of Antioch
St Robert of Syracuse
Bl Robert Anderton
Stefano of Antioch
St Valenzio of Mesia
Bl William Marsden
—
Martyrs of Yeoju – 3 saints: Three Christian laymen martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea. 25 April 1801 in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
They were Beatified15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
• Ioannes Won Gyeong-do
• Marcellinus Choe Chang-ju
• Martinus Yi Jung-bae

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 25 April – “Go into the whole world”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 25 April – Thursday of Easter week and the Memorial of St Mark the Evangelist

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.”

Mark 16:15-18go into the whole world - mark 16 15 - 25 april 2019 st mark.jpg

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Feast of St Mark the Evangelist and Memorials of the Saints – 25 April 2019

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Mark the Evangelist (Feast) Also known as John Mark (Born 1st century – martyred 25 April 68 at Alexandria, Egypt) – The Winged Lion (This year, 2019, as St Mark’s Feast falls within the Easter Octave, it is not celebrated in the usual way, as the Easter Solemnity, obviously takes precedence).
St Mark – https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist/

And:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/saint-of-the-day-25-april-st-mark-the-evangelist-solemnity/

St Agathopodes of Antioch
Bl Andrés Solá Molist
St Anianus of Alexandria
Bl Antonio Pérez Lários
St Callista of Syracuse
St Clarentius of Vienne
St Ermin of Lobbes
St Evodius of Syracuse
St Franca Visalta
St Giovanni Battista Piamarta FN (1841 – 1913)

St Heribaldus of Auxerre
St Hermogenes of Syracuse
Bl José Trinidad Rangel y Montaño
St Kebius
St Macaille
St Macedonius
St Mario Borzaga
St Pasicrate of Mesia
St Paul Thoj Xyooj
Pedro de San Jose Betancur
Phaebadius of Agen
Philo of Antioch
Robert of Syracuse
Bl Robert Anderton
Stefano of Antioch
St Valenzio of Mesia
Bl William Marsden
—
Martyrs of Yeoju – 3 saints: Three Christian laymen martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea. 25 April 1801 in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
They were Beatified15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
• Ioannes Won Gyeong-do
• Marcellinus Choe Chang-ju
• Martinus Yi Jung-bae

Posted in CATECHESIS, EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL MESSAGES, PAPAL SERMONS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Today we celebrate St Mark, the Evangelist, the first Gospel writer and the friend of Sts Peter and Paul, the cousin of St Barnabas and our Father in faith – our friend too, a chosen member of the Catholic Church who has gone before to show us the way.   Mark knew there would be difficulties for believers in every age, for the persecution of the early Church was the beginning “of the labour pains” (13:8), since “the Gospel must first be preached to all nations” (13:10).   He has given us a moving story of how God works in mysterious ways and shown us in the actions of Jesus how to be patient in our faith even in the most troubling circumstances, for “he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him as he told you” (16:7).   This narrative could only have been created by someone who himself knew suffering, the pain of unfulfilled hopes and the sorrow of untimely death.   His faith made him write about it.   His hope makes it so convincing!   Let us listen to Pope Benedict on being a Catholic today, now, in the world we live in!

Chosen:   I think it is worth reflecting on this word.   We are chosen.   God has always known us, even before our birth, before our conception, God wanted me as a Christian, as a Catholic, He wanted me as a priest.   God thought of me, He sought me among millions, among a great many, He saw me and He chose me.   It was not for my merits, which were non-existent but out of His goodness;  He wanted me to be a messenger of His choice, which is also always a mission, above all a mission and a responsibility for others.   Chosen: we must be grateful and joyful for this event.   God thought of me, he chose me as a Catholic, me, as a messenger of His Gospel, as a priest.   In my opinion it is worth reflecting several times on this and coming back to this fact of His choice;  He chose me, He wanted me, now I am responding.

Perhaps today we are tempted to say:  we do not want to rejoice at having been chosen, for this would be triumphalism.   It would be triumphalism to think that God had chosen me because I was so important.   This would really be erroneous triumphalism. However, being glad because God wanted me is not triumphalism.   Rather, it is gratitude and I think we should relearn this joy:  God wanted me to be born in this way, into a Catholic family, he wanted me to know Jesus from the first.   What a gift to be wanted by God so that I could know His face, so that I could know Jesus Christ, the human face of God, the human history of God in this world!   Being joyful because He has chosen me to be a Catholic, to be in this Church of His, where subsistit Ecclesia unica;  we should rejoice because God has given me this grace, this beauty of knowing the fullness of God’s truth, the joy of his love.

Chosen:  a word of privilege and at the same time of humility.   However “chosen” — as I said — is accompanied by the word “parepidemois”, exiles, foreigners.   As Christians we are dispersed and we are foreigners:  we see that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world today, because it does not conform, because it is a stimulus, because it opposes the tendencies to selfishness, to materialism and to all these things.

Christians are certainly not only foreigners; we are also Christian nations, we are proud of having contributed to the formation of culture, there is a healthy patriotism, a healthy joy of belonging to a nation that has a great history of culture and of faith.   Yet, as Christians, we are always also foreigners — the destiny of Abraham, described in the Letter to the Hebrews.   As Christians we are, even today, also always foreigners. In the work place Christians are a minority, they find themselves in an extraneous situation;  it is surprising that a person today can still believe and live like this.   This is also part of our life:  it is a form of being with the Crucified Christ, this being foreigners, not living in the way that everyone else lives, but living — or at least seeking to live — in accordance with His Word, very differently from what everyone says.   And it is precisely this that is characteristic of Christians.   They all say:  “But everyone does this, why don’t I?”   No, I don’t, because I want to live in accordance with God.   St Augustine once said:  “Christians are those who do not have their roots below, like tree, but have their roots above and they do not live this gravity in the natural downwards gravitation”.   Let us pray the Lord that he help us to accept this mission of living as exiles, as a minority, in a certain sense, of living as foreigners and yet being responsible for others and, in this way, reinforcing the goodness in our world.

This is faith:  touching Christ with the hand of faith, with our heart and thus entering into the power of His life, into the healing power of the Lord.   And let us pray the Lord, that we may touch Him more and more, so as to be healed.   Let us pray that He will not let us fall, that He too may take us by the hand and thus preserve us for true life….

LECTIO DIVINA” OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI

Chapel of the Seminary
Friday, 8 February 2013

St Mark, Pray for us!st-mark-pray-for-us-25 april 2017

 

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 April – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter and the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Jesus said to the Eleven, “go out to the whole world and the proclaim the gospel to all creation.”…Mark 16:15

REFLECTION – So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”    Strengthened by this mission, the apostles “went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.”
Those, who with God’s help, have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it, are urged on, by love of Christ, to proclaim the Good News, everywhere in the world.   This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors.   All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on, from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing and by celebrating it, in liturgy and prayer…CCC 2-3those who with god's help...ccc 2-3 - 25 april 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, You chose the Evangelist St Mark and ennobled him with grace, to preach the Gospel.   Let his teaching so improve our lives and his prayers so support us, that we may walk faithfully in his footsteps, which are the footsteps of Christ our Lord.   Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st mark - pray for us - 25 april 2018

Posted in EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, PATRONAGE - LAWYERS / NOTARIES, PATRONAGE - PRISONERS, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Mark the Evangelist

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Mark the Evangelist – also known as John Mark (Born 1st century – Martyred 25 April 68 at Alexandria, Egypt) – The Winged Lion – Evangelist, Martyr, Missionary, Preacher, Teacher, friend and assistant to St Peter, St Paul, cousin of St Barnabas.1977.2_evangelista-san-marcosst mark and the winged lion

John Mark, later known simply as Mark, was a Jew by birth.   He was the son of that Mary who was proprietress of the Cenacle or “upper room” which served as the meeting place for the first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).   He was still a youth at the time of the Saviour’s death.    We cannot be certain whether he knew Jesus personally.    Some scholars feel that the evangelist is speaking of himself (so he then did know Jesus) when describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane:  “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.    They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51-52). 

During the years that followed, the rapidly maturing youth witnessed the growth of the infant Church in his mother’s Upper Room and became acquainted with its traditions. This knowledge he put to excellent use when compiling his Gospel.   Later, we find Mark acting as a companion to his cousin Barnabas and Saul on their return journey to Antioch and on their first missionary journey.   But Mark was too immature for the hardships of this type of work and therefore left them at Perge in Pamphylia to return home.

As the two apostles were preparing for their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take his cousin with him.   Paul, however, objected.   Thereupon the two cousins undertook a missionary journey to Cyprus.   Time healed the strained relations between Paul and Mark and during the former’s first Roman captivity (61-63), Mark rendered Paul valuable service (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24) and the Apostle learned to appreciate him.   When in chains the second time Paul requested Mark’s presence (2 Tim. 4:11).

Opnamedatum: 2010-11-30

An intimate friendship existed between Mark and Peter;  he played the role of Peter’s companion, disciple and interpreter.   According to the common patristic opinion, Mark was present at Peter’s preaching in Rome and wrote his Gospel under the influence of the prince of the apostles.   This explains why incidents which involve Peter are described with telling detail (e.g., the great day at Capharnaum, 1:14f)).   Little is known of Mark’s later life.   It is certain 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.

tomb-st-mark-venice
St Mark’s Tomb inside the Altar at St Mark’s, Venice
st mark's venice
St Mark’s Venice

The Gospel of St Mark, the shortest of the four, is, above all, a Roman Gospel.   It originated in Rome and is addressed to Roman, or shall we say, to Western Christianity. Another high merit is its chronological presentation of the life of Christ.   For we should be deeply interested in the historical sequence of the events in our blessed Saviour’s life.

Mark2. Benozzo Gozzoli
Ceilings in the Vatican depicting St Mark

Saint Mark Mosaic Angels Saint Peter's Basilica Vatican Rome Ita

Furthermore, Mark was a skilled painter of word pictures.   With one stroke he frequently enhances a familiar scene, shedding upon it new light.   His Gospel is the “Gospel of Peter,” for he wrote it under the direction and with the aid of the prince of the apostles.   “The Evangelist Mark is represented as a lion because he begins his Gospel in the wilderness,   ‘The voice of one crying in the desert:   Make ready the way of the Lord,’ or because he presents the Lord as the unconquered King.”…Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

st mark - the winged lionthe winged lion of st mark

 

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 25 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 25 April

St Mark was the inadvertent cause of a quarrel between St Paul and St Barnabas.   Saints are not immune to human failings and it is good to know that saints sometimes struggle to get along in peace and harmony – they argue!   So, we should not be too discouraged by our own failings – rather, we should try to turn all things to the good.   God writes straight with crooked lines and St Mark fulfilled in his life what every Christian is called to do:  proclaim to all people the Good News that is the source of salvation – this is our job too!

St Mark Pray for us!

ST MARK PRAY FOR US

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 25 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 25 April

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:15-18

MARK 16-15-18

 

 

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, PATRONAGE - LAWYERS / NOTARIES, PATRONAGE - PRISONERS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Mark the Evangelist – Solemnity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 25 April – St Mark the Evangelist (1st century -martyred 25 April 68 at Alexandria, Egypt) Evangelist, Martyr, Missionary, Preacher, Teacher, friend and assistant to St Peter, St Paul, cousin of St Barnabas – also known as John Mark. Patronages: – against unrepentance, against insect bites, Lawyers, notaries, prisoners, lions, glaziers and stained glass artists, of Egypt, Iona Islands, Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Italy, Diocese of, Arica, Chile, Diocese of, Cortona, Italy, Diocese of Infanta, Philippines, Prelature of, Venice, Florida, Diocese of, 45 Cities – Attributes:  lion, winged lion, bishop on a throne decorated with lions, man helping Venetian sailors, man holding a book with pax tibi Marce written on it, man holding a palm and book, man with a book or scroll accompanied by a winged lion, man with a halter around his neck, man writing or holding his gospel, rescuing Christian slaves from Saracens, winged lion.   Major shrine – Venice, Italy.

Interior of St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice. View through the central nave towards transept and apse. Mosaics, begun in the 11th century, cover more than 4000 sq.m. Iconostasis with 14 statues of Saint Mary and the apostles.

St. Mark was an evangelist, or Gospel writer.    In fact, he was the pioneer in Gospel writing.    His is the shortest and the oldest of the Gospels.   Little is known of Mark except from the New Testament.    He was not one of the twelve apostles but was a member of the first Christian community. Mark had firsthand experience of the early Church and apostolic life.    He was a traveling companion and assistant of Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey.    Something happened to Mark on that journey, perhaps homesickness, so he returned to Jerusalem.    The incident caused a quarrel between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas, Mark’s cousin, was sympathetic toward Mark but Paul would not hear of Mark accompanying them again.    Later Paul and Mark must have been reconciled, because when Paul wrote to Timothy during his final imprisonment, he asked for Mark’s help.

BAT52241 St. Mark the Evangelist (copy of a painting by Fra Bartolommeo) by Gabbiani, Antonio Domenico (1652-1726) Museo di San Marco dell’Angelico, Florence, Italy Italian, out of copyright

Like another Gospel writer Luke, Mark was not one of the 12 apostles.    We cannot be certain whether he knew Jesus personally.    Some scholars feel that the evangelist is speaking of himself (so he then did know Jesus) when describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane:  “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.    They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51-52).   Mark’s Gospel was a great contribution to the Church.   It included oral and written tradition concerning the words and deeds of Jesus.    Mark probably secured some of his material from St. Peter.   He shows Jesus as the suffering Son of God.    Mark knew that to accept the Risen Jesus meant to come to terms with the cross.    Jesus was glorified because he willingly allowed himself to suffer death for our salvation.    Mark writes that anyone who wishes to follow Jesus must accept the cross.

Mark wrote to proclaim the Good News to a community of both Jewish and Gentile Christians.   His Gospel is direct and simple to read.    He speaks to Christians about Jesus, who understands their difficulties and sufferings and will one day bring them to share with him eternal joy and glory.

Traditionally Mark is thought to have been founder and bishop of the church of Alexandria, Egypt, where he was martyred.

221px-Stmark
Saint Mark by Donatello (Orsanmichele, Florence

Over the years artists have given a symbol to each of the evangelists.    Mark’s symbol is a winged lion because his Gospel begins with the story of John the Baptist who, like a roaring lion, called people to repent.   The lion derives from Mark’s description of John the Baptist as a “voice of one crying out in the desert” (Mark 1:3), which artists compared to a roaring lion.    The wings come from the application of Ezekiel’s vision of four winged creatures to the evangelists.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, SAINT of the DAY

Saint’s Memorials and Feasts – 25 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Mark the Evangelist (Feast)
—
St Agathopodes of Antioch
Bl Andrés Solá Molist
St Anianus of Alexandria
Bl Antonio Pérez Lários
St Callista of Syracuse
St Clarentius of Vienne
St Ermin of Lobbes
St Evodius of Syracuse
St Franca Visalta
St Giovanni Piamarta
St Heribaldus of Auxerre
St Hermogenes of Syracuse
Bl José Trinidad Rangel y Montaño
St Kebius
St Macaille
St Macedonius
St Mario Borzaga
St Pasicrate of Mesia
St Paul Thoj Xyooj
Pedro de San Jose Betancur
Phaebadius of Agen
Philo of Antioch
Robert of Syracuse
Bl Robert Anderton
Stefano of Antioch
St Valenzio of Mesia
Bl William Marsden
—
Martyrs of Yeoju – 3 saints: Three Christian laymen martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea. 25 April 1801 in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
They were Beatified15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
• Ioannes Won Gyeong-do
• Marcellinus Choe Chang-ju
• Martinus Yi Jung-bae