Mark the Word

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist, is an opportunity to reflect on the events in our lives that have re-focused our experience of love and devotion through encounter with people and Nature.

In the Name of St. Mark

The Reading from the First Letter of Peter proclaims Advice to the Community.

* [5:5–11] The community is to be subject to the presbyters and to show humility toward one another and trust in God’s love and care (1 Pt 5:5–7). With sobriety, alertness, and steadfast faith they must resist the evil one; their sufferings are shared with Christians everywhere (1 Pt 5:8–9). They will be strengthened and called to eternal glory (1 Pt 5:10–11).

* [5:5] Younger members: this may be a designation for office-holders of lesser rank.

* [5:12] Silvanus: the companion of Paul (see 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1). Jews and Jewish Christians, like Paul, often had a Hebrew name (Saoul, Silas) and a Greek or Latin name (Paul, Silvanus). On Silvanus’s possible role as amanuensis, see Introduction.

* [5:13] The chosen one: feminine, referring to the Christian community (ekklēsia) at Babylon, the code name for Rome in Rev 14:8; 17:5; 18:2. Mark, my son: traditionally a prominent disciple of Peter and co-worker at the church in Rome, perhaps the John Mark referred to in Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; and in Acts 15:37–39, a companion of Barnabas. Perhaps this is the same Mark mentioned as Barnabas’s cousin in Col 4:10, a co-worker with Paul in Phlm 24 (see also 2 Tm 4:11). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 89 laments the defeat of the Davidic king.

* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52).

* [89:3–5] David’s dynasty is to be as long-lasting as the heavens, a statement reinforced by using the same verbs (establish, stand) both of the divine love and loyalty and of the Davidic dynasty and throne, cf. Ps 89:29–30.

* [89:7] The sons of the gods: “the holy ones” and “courtiers” of Ps 89:6, 8. These heavenly spirits are members of God’s court.

* [89:11] Rahab: a mythological sea monster whose name is used in the Bible mainly as a personification of primeval chaos, cf. Jb 9:13; 26:12; Ps 74:13–14; Is 51:9.

* [89:13] Zaphon and Amanus: two sacred mountains in northern Syria which came to designate the directions of north and south. Tabor: a high hill in the valley of Jezreel in northern Israel. Hermon: a mountain in Lebanon, forming the southern spur of the Anti-Lebanon range. (Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Longer Ending to the Gospel of Mark presents The Commissioning of the Eleven.

* [16:9–20] This passage, termed the Longer Ending to the Marcan gospel by comparison with a much briefer conclusion found in some less important manuscripts, has traditionally been accepted as a canonical part of the gospel and was defined as such by the Council of Trent. Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus, reflecting, in particular, traditions found in Lk 24 and Jn 20. (Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that Mark’s gospel is marked (no pun intended) by nothing if not breathless urgency. As I tell my undergraduate students, the Greek term “euthus”, typically translated in English as “immediately,” dominates Mark’s gospel. Mark’s Jesus is a man of action, healings, exorcisms, and confrontation with the powers of his day, the agent of the reign of God that is now “at hand” (Mark 1:14). Jesus’ coming demands an immediate and personal response of discipleship. The dramatic nature of Mark’s proclamation of Jesus Christ continues in today’s gospel, thought by many scholars to be a later addition.

I write this reflection from Kenya where I have been moved by the faith of lay-led Small Christian Communities (SCCs) which provide the grassroots foundation of the Catholic Church in eastern Africa. Meeting in homes, these communities share on the upcoming Sunday gospel, pray the Rosary, reflect on their social context, and provide charitable support for each other. What strikes me are the faith and trust members express in God’s saving power, often expressed in what today’s psalm calls a “joyful shout,” even as these “brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings” (1 Peter 5:9). As one woman in a rural SCC proclaimed, “by showing love to one another, we create peace where there is no peace.” This is surely a message our church and world need to hear today. (Carney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes The Gospel proclaimed to all creation, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The command to the apostles to be witnesses to him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8) was not addressed exclusively to those to whom it was immediately spoken. They alone would not be the only ones who would carry such an enormous task to completion. Similarly he seems to be speaking to the apostles very personally when he says: 'Behold I am with you even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20), yet who does not know that he made this promise to the universal church which will last from now even to the consummation of the world by successive births and deaths?" (excerpt from LETTER 199,TO HESYCHIUS 49) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14 notes about Mark: “What a journey!” Mark could have given up after his embarrassment with Paul and Barnabas. He could have returned home to Jerusalem and settled in with his mother and the believers who gathered in her home (Acts 12:12). But the message of the gospel was too compelling; Mark had to keep sharing it. 

So he went from being a failed missionary to the adopted “son” of the first pope, to the author of the first Gospel, to the founder of Christianity in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Jesus didn’t give up on Mark, and he won’t give up on you. So don’t let your past mistakes define you. Keep trusting in the Lord and his perfect plan for your life.

“Jesus, thank you for being as faithful to me as you were to St. Mark!” (Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Peter ends the first letter with a paranesis, a series of instructions for a good life. Live in humility, be sober and vigilant in his final greeting from “Babylon” a pseudonym for Rome. He sends a greeting from Mark “my son” who was travelling with Peter. Most of Mark’s Gospel is from Peter. Ironically in Ch 16 the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel is proclaimed today. This was likely not written by Mark himself. The “shorter ending” concludes the Gospel with the women leaving the tomb. This first ending was not satisfactory. The passage for today was inspired by Matthew. Friar Jude notes we consider it to be inspired, written in the name of Mark.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces co-founder of the Wild Church Network and Seminary of the Wild, Victoria Loorz, who writes of love as intimacy with another, whether with a person or part of the created world.

To quote farmer and poet Wendell Berry, “People exploit what they have merely concluded to be of value, but they defend what they love….” [1]

This is a courtship of the particular. Of the many others in the world, some—or maybe just one—will choose you. Pursue you, even. We love all by authentically loving the one or the few who are near us: those who give themselves to us to whom we open our hearts and love back. To regard a wild one as a sacred other, one who has her own wisdom and relationships and concerns beyond our encounters with her—this is entering into conversation as a practice of love, which is participation in the presence of the sacred, of Christ. (Rohr, n.d.)

We are inspired by the Spirit, in the tradition of Mark, to be humble and brave as we share the fullness of life as followers of Jesus Way.

References

Carney, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-25-2026 

Mark, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?15 

Meditation on 1 Peter 5:5-14. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/25/1549976/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/5?5 

Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). For Love of the Earth: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/for-love-of-the-earth-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go and Preach the Gospel to the Whole Creation. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Conversion and Communion

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to reflect on the events in our lives that resonate with the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.

On the Road to Conversion

 The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents Saul’s Conversion, his Baptism and Saul Preaching in Damascus.

* [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).

* [9:2] The Way: a name used by the early Christian community for itself (Acts 18:26; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life.

* [9:8] He could see nothing: a temporary blindness (Acts 9:18) symbolizing the religious blindness of Saul as persecutor (cf. Acts 26:18).

* [9:13] Your holy ones: literally, “your saints.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 117 calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy.

* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity. (Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John continues The Bread of Life Discourse.

* [6:54–58] Eats: the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: “munch,” “gnaw.” This may be part of John’s emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:55), but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning “eat.” (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley is challenged to really examine who she is and how that is lived and conveyed to others.

I am of the vintage that I remember well the change in Church music following Vatican II.  The music of the “folk masses” filled my heart.  One of the earliest songs that I remember from this is They’ll know We are Christians by our Love and the lyric that we are one in the Spirit. So many of the songs in that era (many from the beloved St Louis Jesuits) proclaimed our beliefs in a way that demanded/encouraged actions consistent with our professions of faith.  Are my eyes blinded and not seeing what I need to. The question remains for me, will they know I am a Christian??? 

So…  two songs today (songs are my way to share my faith with you).

Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord  (Michael W. Smith)

Whenever I hear the song below, I think of St John the Baptist and all the early disciples, and how they reached out to the world and continued the story that Jesus began… 

Nobody by Casting Crowns (Shirley, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Abiding in Christ, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

" Jesus recommended to us His Body and Blood in bread and wine, elements that are reduced into one out of many constituents. What is meant by eating that food and taking that drink is this: to remain in Christ and have Him remaining in us." (excerpt from Sermon on John 26,112) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 9:1-20 invites us to imagine how different the Church might have turned out if Ananias had turned away! The Lord would, no doubt, have fulfilled his plan for the growth of the Church. But Ananias would not have had the role God offered him in these great events.

The next time you think the Lord is moving you in an unexpected direction, follow Ananias’ lead and ask for more understanding. Or better yet, take a small step forward and see what happens. You never know; your yes might bear fruit far beyond what you can imagine!

“Jesus, give me the courage to follow your lead!” (Meditation on Acts 9:1-20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts, the first of three accounts of the conversion of Paul with some small differences, the voice of Jesus is heard. Saul is going to Damascus even if the High Priest had no authority in that region. This seems to be an illegal act. Luke is offering a comparison of good people with law breakers. Saul and Paul are the same person. Saul is Hebrew-Aramaic version of his name. Why me? The Christians and Jesus suffer persecution. Paul uses kyrios as Lord, the right Greek word without realizing it. Saul, who is blinded, is to go to Ananias, who does, in fact, get over fear to encounter Saul. The cataract removed from Saul’s eyes is like that removed due to electrocution. Was this struck down event a nervous breakdown? Not likely, there is no sign of reticence or depression in Paul. In the Gospel of John, the Bread of Life Discourse, the Jewish people are traditionally troubled by eating flesh and even more today by hearing you have to drink His blood, very difficult in Jewish religious tradition. Friar Jude notes that, in John’s Gospel, we find realized eschatology in our encounter with Christ. In proclaiming about the Bread of Life, John refers to being saved on the last day and facing both present and future salvation in the Eucharist.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Anglican priest Ragan Sutterfield, an avid bird watcher, who reflects on what it means to practice hospitality to nature in its many forms. Sutterfield suggests ways we can disrupt the commodification of nature and act hospitably. 

To plant a garden, to create a wetland—these seem like small acts in the face of our world of concrete, our obsession with never-ending economic growth. What difference can it make? I think of G. K. Chesterton’s comment, in his wonderful economic critique, The Outline of Sanity, which takes aim at industrial capitalism’s takeover of small shops and farms:

Do anything, however small, that will prevent the completion of the work of capitalist combination. Do anything that will even delay that completion. Save one shop out of a hundred shops…. Keep open one door out of a hundred doors; for so long as one door is open, we are not in prison. Ahab has not his kingdom so long as Naboth has his vineyard [1 Kings 21]. Haman will not be happy in the palace while Mordecai is sitting in the gate [Esther 5:9–13]…. [2]

Hospitality is more than resistance, however; it is also a sacramental practice—a way by which we learn to recognize the holy in the wild lives around us. “There are no unsacred places,” writes Wendell Berry, “there are only sacred places and desecrated places.” The practice of reconciliation ecology is an act in which we relate to the world in its sacredness, keeping ourselves from seeing it as a mere landscape or an interchangeable abstraction for our desires. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to touch our heart and mind as we participate in sacramental practice and experience the Presence of Christ guiding our mission on the road of life.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?1 

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?52 

Meditation on Acts 9:1-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/24/1549333/ 

Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Hospitality on Our Earth Home. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/hospitality-on-our-earth-home/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). He Who Eats This Bread Will Live Forever. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Shirley, N. (2026, April 24). Daily Reflection April 24, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved April 24, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-24-2026