20220425 SECOND CHANCE
25 April, 2022, St Mark, Evangelist
First reading | 1 Peter 5:5-14 © |
My son, Mark, sends you greetings
All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.
Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son, Mark.
Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 © |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord;
the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord
or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | 1Co1:23-24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
We are preaching a crucified Christ,
who is the power and the wisdom of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 16:15-20 © |
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:
‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
SECOND CHANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Pt 5:5-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mk 16:15-20]
From the Acts of the Apostles, we read how Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas half way on the first missionary trip. After finishing their mission on the island of Cyprus, preaching at both Salamis and Paphos, Mark decided to return to Jerusalem. “Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.” (Acts 13:13f) We are not too sure exactly the reasons why Mark did not continue with the journey to Pamphylia. It could be because he was unable to take the swampy ground of Perga or the rugged terrain at Antioch in Pisidia. It could also be because he missed home as he was still a young man. Perhaps, he could be resentful that Barnabas allowed Paul to take the lead when it was Barnabas who called Paul to help him. Whatever the reasons, Paul lost complete confidence in him. So much so that when Barnabas wanted to take Mark with him on the second missionary journey, Paul refused to let him come along. “The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord.” (Acts 15:39f)
When we consider how God works in our lives, we cannot but be grateful that God always gives us a second chance. God does not rule us out completely even when we are condemned in the eyes of the world. Paul, before his conversion, was an enemy of the faith but Barnabas managed to rehabilitate him and welcome him to the Christian community. He became the greatest apostle to the Gentiles. So, too, was Mark. He was young then. He was a coward in many ways. We read in the gospel that he wrote, how he ran away when Jesus was arrested. Scholars believed that the following verse referred to Mark himself. “A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” (Mk 14:51f)
St Peter himself was also given a second chance. He denied the Lord three times. Like Mark, he too was a coward because he dared not even acknowledge Jesus before a servant girl. (cf Mk 14:70-72) But the Lord gave him a chance to redeem himself after the resurrection. (cf John 21:15-19) In many ways, St Peter was like Mark. Peter was a bit gung-ho in the way he thought of himself. He was so sure of himself many times. Like when he was walking on the waters (cf Mt 14:29-33) or when he told Jesus, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mk 14:31) Peter must have learned his lessons after eating humble pie a few times.
This perhaps also explained his special affection for Mark because he sees himself in Mark. He calls Mark his dear son. Legend also had it that Peter, who married a relative of Mark’s father, took it upon himself to take care of Mark when his father died. At this point of time, Mark was assisting Peter when he was in prison. Most likely, he was helping St Peter in recording his stories, testimonies and teachings as he was more educated and most of all, he could speak Greek, being a Greek-speaking Jew. This accounts for his two names, John Mark. John was his Jewish name and Mark was his Greek name. So Mark was tremendously useful to St Peter who could most likely only speak Aramaic. He must have taken a liking to Mark because he could identify with him so closely.
In the first reading, it gives the impression that he was seeking to encourage Mark who once too was afraid of the future and of his life and thus deserted Paul in his missionary journey. As if advising Mark, he wrote, “God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.” Peter was reminded to be humble and not be so cocky and confident of himself through his mistakes. So too, perhaps Peter was advising Mark not to think too highly of himself. Instead, with humility, he advised the Christians to trust in the Lord instead and cast all their anxieties unto Him.
Mark seems to have taken his advice well to heart. He was not only a great assistant to Peter but later on for Paul as well, who was reconciled with him. Paul wrote, “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions – if he comes to you, welcome him.” (Col 4:10) Later on, Paul even asked Mark to help him. In his letter to Timothy written in prison in Rome, he instructed, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.” (2 Tim 4:11) Indeed, by then Mark must have become more mature in faith and in character. By then, he was a changed man, grown up and regained his confidence and courage to be a true witness of Christ.
He became an evangelist and went to spread the gospel as far as Alexandria in Egypt. Indeed, today’s gospel reading which invites us to spread the gospel to all the nations was taken seriously by Mark. He sought to spread the gospel according to the talents the Lord had given him. Today the Coptic Church takes pride in establishing their apostolicity by tracing their Church to St Mark, one of the 70 disciples of Christ. He was eventually martyred. But he was no longer afraid to die for Christ because the words of St Peter reminded him. “Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: The God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever.”
As we celebrate the feast of St Mark, we too must learn patience with those who are young or slow to learn. We must never give up on the young especially, and those whom we think have failed us. Like St Peter and Barnabas, and later Paul, we must give those who were weak a second chance. With encouragement, love and understanding, they can become great leaders and apostles for Christ. Like St Mark, let us proclaim the gospel to all the nations, knowing that the Lord is working with us and “confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.” It is never too late to change and redeem ourselves. So long as we do not give up on ourselves, the grace of God can change us. We must surrender all our shortcomings to the Lord and He will give us the grace to be courageous and faithful to our vocation in life.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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