Feast of St. Mark
(Mark 16)
The Feast of St. Mark is the first required celebration of a saint during the Easter Season. This fact explains why we hear in the gospel reading today Mark’s account of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to his disciples. Interestingly, we see St. Mark symbolized by a lion because only in his gospel is Jesus pictured among wild beasts in the desert.
The Gospel According to Mark emphasizes the humanness of Jesus more than the other gospels. Only in Mark is Jesus called a carpenter. Also, only in this gospel does Jesus use both fingers and spittle at the same time to cure the deaf mute. Mark also quotes Jesus healing in Aramaic, Jesus’ original tongue when he tells the dead girl to arise, “Talita koum.”
The Gospel of Mark treats the disciples as dull and cowardly. After Jesus feeds the five thousand and walks on water, Mark says that the disciples still do not understand him. They further abandon Jesus like thieves in the night when he is arrested in the garden. The disciples await the grace of the resurrection in order to understand who Jesus is and to carry out his mission. In other words, they need the Holy Spirit. And that’s where we are today – waiting for the Spirit. We also need the Holy Spirit to announce to all God’s love and his desire that we truly love one another.
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