Clothe yourselves with humility

Greetings on this the Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Readings: 1 Pt 5:5b-14; PS 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mk 16:15-20

Notes

Jesus said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
We proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The Beginning: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God (Mk 1:1).
The End: But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Summary

It is with gratitude we celebrate the Gospel of Mark and the person of John-Mark in sharing his encounter with Jesus, Peter and the whole of the Good News. In humble veneration (respect, reverence) we recognize ours is but an abstraction of an abstraction of a perspective and personal opinion. Yet in all our pontifications we have the Quelle, the source, and the Church Fathers to center us on the essentials of the faith.

Reflection

We speak boldly but with hesitation. Careful to note any novelty or personal opinion not perfectly on the center beam of the canon of faith.

Even in our heart-felt errors, the Lord repairs and refines us and our readers. Error, it seems, illuminates truth because truth is so powerful. And even sometimes, error reveals a different error or lack of precision that requires further work (See any Council of the early Church). This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Personal Reflection

Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another.

I write about Jesus. All the time. But these posts are but a teeny tiny speck compared to the four Gospel Accounts that have been preserved as canon of the Good News. First and foremost know that it takes hours per day to write these blog posts. Not because I can’t type well or my addled brain which are both true. But because the encounter with the Lord in prayer and contemplation, in particular through the scriptures, is an ever new and wonderful engagement with the divine life. The synchronicity between the Old and New Testaments, the commingling of the life of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms all pointing to Jesus. The Gospel accounts about the life of Jesus, the Christology (Mark is usually described as High Christology), is a favorite for me. Mostly because it allows us to enter into the day-by-day divinity of Jesus: who he is, why he is and what he did. Mark’s account is just that.

Reference: (take a moment to read the opening narrative in the NABRE for the gospel of Mark) https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/0

First Reading

Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.

Responsorial

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

We proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Gospel

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry