April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist
St. Peter's “interpreter”
What we know about Saint Mark comes to us through the Acts of the Apostles in some letters of Saints Peter and Paul. He was not part of the first group of the Apostles but was a disciple first of Paul and then of Peter. Some authors identify him as the young man, son of the widow Mary, who followed Jesus after his arrest in Gethsemane. On that occasion, he narrowly escaped capture when grabbed, running away by leaving behind the linen robe he was wearing. In his writings, he sometimes also appears with the name of John-Mark.
Born in the first century A.D. into a wealthy Jewish family, after the death of Christ, he stayed for some time in Jerusalem with Saint Paul and Barnabas, who was his cousin; he then left with them for Antioch. He thus collaborated with Saint Paul and also accompanied him on the journey to Cyprus. In fact, we find his presence in Rome, next to Saint Paul, who shortly before dying wrote to Timothy: “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry.” (2 Tim 4:11).
We do not know if Mark was present at Saint Paul’s martyrdom, however, after Paul’s death he placed himself at the service of Peter. The sign of his presence in Rome is at the Basilica of Saint Mark, in the historic center of Rome, probably built where his house stood.
Saint Peter considered Mark a spiritual son as he became his secretary and translator. In fact, he transcribed Peter’s sermons and catechesis to the first Christians of Rome. For this reason, he is also called “Peter’s interpreter”, because in his writings he is very faithful to the teachings of Peter, Prince of the Apostles, whose first letter reads: “The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.” (1Pt 5:13).
Mark wrote his Gospel in Greek between 50 and 60 A.D. and shaped it on the teachings and testimony of Peter. In the text he described the ministry of Christ, making his encounter with John the Baptist the starting point of his narrative. The rest of his Gospel tells of the death of John the Baptist, narrating several great parables and miraculous healings.
The rest of Mark's life is little known. Some sources state that he went to Egypt, evangelized the country, became Bishop and then died a martyr in Alexandria. Another version says that before reaching Egypt, he evangelized Aquileia, the area on the northeastern coast of Italy which would later see the rise of Venice.
The Evangelist probably died between 68 and 72 A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt. Some of his relics are preserved in Cairo, in the Cathedral of St. Mark, seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. The remains of his body are interred in the Basilica of St. Mark’s in Venice. According to tradition, Saint Mark’s remains were secretly brought from Alexandria to Venice in 828, with the Venetians hiding the relics under pork thereby deceiving the vigilance of the Muslim guards as they left Egypt.
Mark's symbol is a winged lion, as his Gospel begins with a reference to Saint John the Baptist, who preached in the desert where wild beasts lived. It was also believed that John wore a lion's skin as a garment, although Mark states that the Baptist wore camel skins. However, the Gospel phrase about “the voice of one crying out in the desert” recalls the roar of a lion.