Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we begin our reading of the Gospel of Mark. This is the first of the four gospels to be written, and it is also the shortest. For some, this makes it their favorite gospel as it can be read pretty easily in one sitting. It is a gospel that is favored by people who have ever experienced ridicule or rejection at the hands of others, because this happens to Jesus a lot in Mark’s gospel. He is misunderstood and abandoned by even his closest friends.

The text of Mark’s Gospel dates to the late 60s, early 70s, and is traditionally associated with the early believers in the Church of Rome. Their experience of persecution and destruction would help us to understand the author’s efforts to reassure and reaffirm the difficulties of being a believer and a follower of Jesus in a world that contradicts his values. While we cannot be certain as to the identity of the author, the majority of scripture scholars affirm the tradition that the Mark in question is the “John Mark” named in the Acts of the Apostles. He spent a very brief time with Paul on his mission, but ultimately came to be associated with Peter, for whom he became a companion in his ministry.

The Gospel of Mark is divided into two basic parts, the first being an account of Jesus’ public ministry (Mk1 - 8) and the second tells of the trials and suffering of Jesus (Mk 9-16). Each of these parts is sometimes understood to be the author's response to two questions: “Who is Jesus?” and “What does it mean to be his disciple?”

To answer the first question, “Who is Jesus?”, Mark’s gospel narrates for us how Jesus went about healing people of their ailments and showing compassion for people who were suffering. It tells of the conflicts Jesus has with demons, paralleling the struggle he has with the religious and civil authorities and even getting his own disciples to understand what he is about. As we read these stories, we are reminded that Jesus is the Son of God, the one who acts in the world with the authority of God because he is obedient to God’s will.

For ourselves, we believe that all who are baptized are called to be disciples of Jesus, no matter what path our lives take. The majority of us are called to discipleship as lay men and women among the community of believers. A smaller number are called to live discipleship in particular service of the community (ordained). It matters not whether we be priest or plumber, bishop or banker, married or single, wealthy or poor, faithfulness to God’s call is the most important loyalty we can have in life. Jesus calls us to faithful discipleship wherever we are and whatever we might be doing at any moment in our lives.

To teach us what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, Mark’s Gospel shows us how eagerly the disciples followed Jesus at first. However, that initial enthusiasm of those who would follow him quickly gives way to frustration, misunderstanding and fear as they begin to see the differences between their ideas of what the Messiah needed to be and Jesus’ understanding of what God’s anointed needed to be. While they all wanted to be important and significant in the eyes of their peers, the reality was that they ended up running away from Jesus, leaving him alone to face his passion and death.

But Jesus didn’t abandon them. And if there is hope to be found in Mark’s Gospel, then this is important. Faith, whether in a believer or a gentile, saves. Those who trust in the Lord Jesus, and who are willing to take up their cross to follow him, will find salvation. God is always and totally with us, even when we might feel alone, frightened or lost. The Jesus of Mark’s Gospel is a very human Jesus, a man of deep compassion who accepts suffering as the cost of being faithful to the will of the Father. He shows us that what we really need in life is trust that God cares for us and provides for all our needs, even  when we might think our prayers are not being answered in the way we might expect. God is ever faithful. God is always true.

Enjoy Mark’s Gospel.