On Saturday, we remember the life and works of St. Mark the Evangelist.

St. Mark lived during the time of Jesus. He was the son of a woman named Mary and the cousin of Saint Barnabas. When he was still young, he accompanied Sts. Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey to bring the Good News of Jesus to new lands. He preached in Judea, Lebanon, Syria, Antioch, and Cyprus.

He accompanied the two saints to Paphos up to Pamphylia.

It was said that after a disagreement with St. Paul, he returned to Jerusalem.

Converted to the faith by St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, St. Mark acted as his secretary and interpreter in Rome, where he reconciled with St. Paul.

According to tradition, St. Mark wrote the second Gospel emphasizing the miraculous powers of the Savior. His Gospel is short but gives many little details that are not in the other Gospels. He was consecrated as bishop in Gobayel and was sent to Alexandria in Egypt, where he preached the Gospel and converted many people. He established the Theological School of Alexandria, which produced illustrious doctors and bishops.

The success of St. Mark in preaching the Gospel drew the hatred of the pagans. They saw him as a threat to them and planned to kill him. In 68 AD, while the Christians were celebrating Easter, they gathered to kill St. Mark. He had just finished the Eucharist when the church was attacked.

He was arrested for his faith and went through long and painful suffering. A rope was tied around his neck and he was dragged along rocky roads which lacerated his flesh. After being tortured, he was put into a dark prison. Here, he was comforted by the vision of the Lord calling him to His heavenly kingdom. St. Mark screamed and said, “O my Lord Jesus.’’ When the vision ended, he became cheerful and comfortable, as his heart was ready to meet the Lord.

The next day, he received the same treatment from the idolaters. Instead of being bitter, St. Mark prayed to God to forgive them and died to receive the crown of martyrdom. As if his death was not enough in the eyes of his killers, they prepared a big fire to burn his body but a heavy storm extinguished the fire and dispersed the crowd.

Several miracles have been attributed to St. Mark. Among them are the death of a lion and lioness, healing the fingers of Anianus, miracles in five Western cities, his vision in jail, a fire that was extinguished preventing his body from burning, and saving Venice.

We owe to St. Mark the vivid coloring to the Gospel scenes which help us picture the very gestures and looks of Jesus Christ. Let us learn from him to keep the image of our Lord ever in our mind and reflect on the Words of God.