Coffee With God

Reflection: Mark 16:15-20

According to Saint Jerome, the Gospel of Mark, which was the first of the four gospels to be written, presented Jesus Christ as King and hence he is given the biblical image of Lion. Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Mark. He wrote the Gospel as a catechesis on the Faith for the catechumens in Rome. It is also called Saint Peter’s Gospel because while writing the Gospel, he was with Peter in Rome, listening to his preaching. Mark is the only evangelist who titles his work as “The Gospel” or the Good News (Mark 1:1). When he narrates the scene of Jesus being captured in the night of the Passion, he talks about a youth who followed Jesus, and when the guards tried to arrest him, he fled naked. The Scripture scholars today suggest that it could be the personal experience of Mark – that he was that youth. That youth remained fascinated by the first Pope of the Church. Acts of the Apostles presented Mark as a companion of Paul in his missionary journey, but they could not get along well and Mark returned to Jerusalem. He finally comes to Rome as a companion of Peter. And in today’s Gospel, Mark speaks of the sending forth by the Lord. “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This is the missionary nature of faith. Pope Francis says, Our faith in Jesus is to be proclaimed and if I am not missionary, there is no faith. And If anyone says my Faith is just for me to be saved, this is a gnostic heresy. Faith always leads you go out and transmit it through witnessing: “Go out to the people, let people see how you live.” Indeed, strong words from the Pope! Explaining the mission command of Jesus to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature,” Pope Francis says, this verse is often mistaken for asking people to change their religion and get baptised, “as if I were recruiting for a football team or a charity. Preaching the gospel does not mean proselytizing. On the other hand, this is a challenge on me to live like Christ. if I say that I am a Christian and I live like a pagan, that doesn’t convince anyone. The Pope narrated the story of a university student in Poland, who asked him: “I have many fellow students who are atheists. What do I have to tell them to convince them?” The Pope replied, “Nothing! The last thing you have to do is say something. Start to live and they will see your witness, and they will ask you, ‘But why do you live like this?'” Faith must be transmitted not by words, but by our life example. May St. Mark intercede for us that we live like Christ.