SAINT MARK, EVANGELIST (FEAST)

Clothe yourselves with humility. 

It’s not surprising that Peter stressed the need for humility among the leaders of the Christian communities he was addressing. These communities included a wide range of people from different social, religious, and economic groups. Only as they humbly cared for and served one another would they be able to grow in unity.

Peter also knew that it was in serving other people that the early Christians could imitate the humility of their Savior. Peter had poignant, firsthand memories to draw on: Jesus blessed young children, went to Peter’s sick mother’s bedside after a tiring day, and bent over to wipe the grime off Peter’s feet during their last memorable meal together.

But Jesus’ humble service went beyond serving the people he encountered in his ministry. When he died on the cross, he served us in the humblest way possible (Philippians 2:8). God so loved us that he lowered himself and became one like us in order to win our love. This is the gospel message that Peter was preaching—and why he was so adamant that the members of the early Church “clothe” themselves with humility, no matter what their status in the community (1 Peter 5:5).

Today is the feast of St. Mark, the same Mark whom Peter calls his “son” (1 Peter 5:13) and the same Mark who preached about the humility of Christ in the Gospel that bears his name. But did you know that you can preach the gospel as well? You do that through acts of humility, when you put other people ahead of yourself and serve their needs. For many of us, practicing humility may be the most beautiful and sacrificial we have to “go to the cross” with Jesus.

Often, it’s in small and hidden ways that we practice humility, like staying silent when we’re tempted to engage someone in an argument or deferring to another person when we’d rather do it our way. When we do such things, we preach a mini-gospel! We become evangelists like St. Mark—and living testaments to the power of the cross and the saving message of Jesus Christ.

“Jesus, help me to preach the gospel by the way I love and serve my neighbor.”

Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Mark 16:15-20
1 Peter 5:5-14