St. Mark the Evangelist was born in North Africa during the early first century. He is recognized as the first bishop and founder of the Alexandrian Church to be declared a saint. St. Mark is the patron of lions, lawyers, interpreters, and prisoners.

Much of what we know about St. Mark is that he is the author of the Second Gospel, which comes from the New Testament and early Christian tradition. Mark the Evangelist is believed to be the "John Mark" that is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. The history of the early church is found in the Canon of the New Testament, which he wrote. The canon contains four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

He was the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), whose home became a meeting place for the apostles. He was also a cousin of Saint Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), a Levite, and a Cypriot. Mark went with St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Antioch in 44 A.D. (Acts 13:5). When the group reaches Cyprus, according to Christian tradition, Mark leaves them and returns to Jerusalem; possibly, it was because he was missing from his home (Acts 13:13). This incident caused Paul to doubt whether Mark could be a reliable missionary. This created a separation and rift between Paul and Barnabas and led Paul to refuse to accompany Mark on their second trip to the churches of Cicilia and other parts of Asia Minor (Acts 15:39).

However, it can be assumed that the trouble between Paul and Mark did not last long. When Paul was first imprisoned, Mark was also in Rome at the time and planned to visit Asia Minor. He visited Paul as one of his trustworthy companions (Col. 4:10).

Mark's desire to travel to Asia Minor was probably fulfilled. During Paul's second imprisonment and just before he was beheaded in Rome, Paul wrote to Timothy at Ephesus, advising him to "take Mark and bring him with you to Rome, for he is profitable to me in ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). If Mark returned to Rome at this time, he was probably there when Paul was martyred.

According to Christian tradition, Mark had a strong relationship with Saint Peter, who mentioned Mark as "his son" in a letter to some churches in Asia Minor (1 Peter 5:13). According to Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, and Papias, Mark served as Peter's interpreter. Papias says that Mark did not personally hear the Lord, and like Luke, Mark was not one of the twelve apostles. Some believe that when Mark describes Jesus' arrest in the Gospel at Gethsemani, he was most likely referring to himself. "Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth around his body. They grabbed him, but he left the cloth and ran naked" (Mark 14:51–52).

St. Mark spent many years in Alexandria and died as a martyr. On Easter Day, 68 CE, while celebrating mass, he was caught and imprisoned. He was sentenced to death and dragged through the city streets with a rope tied around his neck. The Gospel of Mark was probably written between 60 and 70 A.D. and is based on Saint Peter's teachings. It is believed that Mark gave both Luke and Matthew the primary sources for their gospels. He was probably the first bishop and founder of Alexandria and Egypt, although he is not mentioned in connection with the city by Clement of Alexandria or by Origen.

He is often depicted as writing or holding his Gospel. Sometimes he is shown as a bishop on a throne or as a man helping Venetian sailors. St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice. His feast day is celebrated every April 25.

This feast of St. Mark is the time to reflect on the Scriptures and the life of Jesus, as Mary did. Therefore, I recommend spending an hour or more reading through the entire gospel. If you do not have much time, reading and reflecting on one chapter or even a single story from the gospel could be really fruitful.

Dear Saint Mark the Evangelist, please pray for us!

 
Basilica. (2021, October 7). The life and gospel of Saint Mark the Evangelist. National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/the-life-and-gospel-of-saint-mark-the-evangelist/