April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist—Feast

c. 12–c. 68
Patron Saint of attorneys, captives, shoemakers, lions, notaries, glass workers, Egypt, and Venice
Invoked against impenitence, insect bites, scrofulous & struma diseases
Pre-Congregation canonization

Though little is known for certain about Saint Mark’s life, the Gospel attributed to him is one of the most important scripts ever written. In the shortest of the four Gospels, Mark recounts Jesus’ public ministry in concise and vivid detail. Likely written for Roman Gentiles, Mark’s Gospel often describes Jewish customs to the reader.

The Acts of the Apostles and various Epistles speak of “Mark” as well as “John Mark,” who were likely the same person and the Gospel writer. Saint Mark is believed to have been born in Cyrenaica, modern-day Libya, under Roman rule. “John” is his Jewish name, and “Mark” his Roman name. Mark’s mother, named Mary, likely moved with Mark to Jerusalem after his father’s death. Their home might have been the location of the Last Supper and also the place where Peter went after the angel released him from prison (Acts 12:12). As a teenager, Mark might have been the young man wearing a linen cloth who ran off (Mark 14:51–52). Saint Barnabas, Saint Paul’s missionary companion, was either Mark’s cousin or uncle (See Colossians 4:10).

Shortly after Peter escaped from prison and arrived at Mark’s home, Mark traveled north to Antioch in Syria with Barnabas and Paul. From Antioch, he accompanied Barnabas and Paul on a missionary journey to Antioch in Pisidia, modern-day Turkey. Before completing their journey, Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem. It is unclear why Mark left, but Paul regarded his departure as abandonment. When Paul and Barnabas were setting out on another missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark along. Paul was so opposed to the idea that Barnabas and Paul separated (see Acts 15:37–40). Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, and Paul took another companion with him through Syria and Cilicia.

Mark appears to have been close to the Apostle Peter because Peter refers to him as “Mark, my son” (1 Peter 5:13) in a letter addressed to several Christian communities. Peter sent greetings to them from Mark, indicating that Mark was well known to those communities. Peter’s letter was most likely written from Rome where he would be martyred. It might be that while Mark was with Peter in Rome, he wrote his Gospel at Peter’s request, basing it on Peter’s preaching.

Though Saint Paul and Mark initially had a difficult relationship as the result of Mark’s early departure from Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey, they became close near the end of Paul’s life. Paul refers to him as a co-worker in a few letters he wrote from prison, indicating that Mark had been very helpful to him (see Philemon 1:24; Colossians 4:10–11; 2 Timothy 4:11).

According to later traditions, Mark was ordained a bishop and sent to Alexandria, Egypt to preach the Gospel and establish the first Church in Africa. He is considered the first bishop of Alexandria. In Alexandria, Mark encountered the wrath of the local Alexandrians and was martyred after almost twenty years of ministering to them. 

Saint Mark, thank you for your “Yes” to Jesus Christ. Thank you for your ministry and for your Gospel account. Please pray that I may never tire of turning back to the mission that God has entrusted to me. May I imitate your fidelity and hard work for Christ, going so far as to lay my life down for others. Saint Mark, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Let Us Pray: Saint John Baptist de La Salle, God led you one step at a time. Your generosity to the promptings of grace led you down a path you could have never imagined. Please pray that I will always be open to the plan God has for my life and will generously respond to that plan. Saint John Baptist de La Salle, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You!