The Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist
Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, Casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
I indeed declare, "Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them." "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant,
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like the Lord, A very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, To be feared above all those who are around him?
In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; They will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. They went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.
Saint Mark, whose Gospel we cherish, was likely the young man who fled naked when Jesus was arrested—a detail only his Gospel includes, suggesting personal experience. He became Peter's companion and interpreter, transforming from a fearful follower into a fearless evangelist.
Notice how Peter's letter mentions Mark as "my son"—the same Mark who would pen the Gospel we just heard. There's something profound in this connection: the disciple who once denied Christ three times is now mentoring the young man who once ran away in fear. Both had failed, both had been restored, and both became pillars of the early Church.
The tension in today's readings is palpable. Peter warns of a prowling lion seeking to devour, while Jesus sends the disciples out like sheep among wolves. Yet underneath this danger lies an extraordinary promise: "The Lord working with them." This isn't about our strength or courage—it's about God's power flowing through ordinary, flawed people.
Consider how this plays out in our daily lives. We face our own roaring lions—anxiety about the future, difficult relationships, overwhelming responsibilities. Peter's counsel rings true: cast these worries on God, because he cares for us. The same Lord who worked with Mark and the apostles works with us in our ordinary Wednesday afternoons, in tense conversations, in moments when we feel inadequate.
The movement here is from fear to mission. Mark went from running away to running toward the world with Good News. Peter moved from denying to declaring. What emerges is hope for all of us who have stumbled: our failures don't disqualify us from God's mission—they often prepare us for it.
Where might God be calling you to move from fear toward mission today? What "roaring lion" needs to be met with the confidence that the Lord works with you?