April 25, 2026
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Lectionary:
555
Reading
1
Beloved:
Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:
God
opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.
So
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
Be
sober and vigilant.
Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith,
knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world
undergo the same sufferings.
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.
To him be dominion forever. Amen.
I
write you this briefly through Silvanus,
whom I consider a faithful brother,
exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.
Remain firm in it.
The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.
Greet one another with a loving kiss.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Responsorial
Psalm
R.
(2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O LORD,
and your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies can rank with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the sons of God?
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
We proclaim Christ crucified;
he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus
appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Then
the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042526.cfm
Commentary on 1 Peter 5:5-14; Mark 16:15-20
Ironically,
the Gospel reading is from a passage at the end of Mark’s Gospel, a section
that is thought to be an added supplement to his original text. It is believed
that Mark’s Gospel ends with verse 8 of chapter 16 where we read:
So
they [the
women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had
seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
This
seems to have been regarded as too abrupt an ending, so brief summaries
borrowed from other sources were added on. These include the appearance to Mary
Magdalene (from John); the appearance to two disciples “on their way to the
country”, a clear reference to the disciples on their way to Emmaus (from
Luke); the appearance of the Risen Jesus to the eleven apostles (from Matthew,
Luke and John); and Jesus taken up to heaven (from Luke and Acts).
The
reading is taken from the appearance to the Eleven where Jesus gives them the
mandate to proclaim the gospel to the whole world, and where there is a promise
that believers will be able to work wonders—expelling evil spirits, speaking in
strange tongues, being protected from harmful elements and bringing healing to
the sick. The reading ends with a brief description of the Ascension, when the
Risen Jesus goes back to his Father’s right-hand side.
Mark,
of course, through his Gospel has spelled out the challenge for followers of
Christ to imitate him in living out their discipleship and fulfilling the
missionary command to establish the Kingdom where God’s will is being done on
earth.
The
First Reading from the last chapter of the First Letter of Peter contains
instructions to the younger leaders of the community. The first instruction is
that all should be eager to serve each other and to not have some dominating
over others. They are also warned to be on the watch for evil forces and to be
firm and strong in their faith. They need to realise that their brothers and
sisters in faith are suffering in many places because of persecution. But in
time, God will strengthen them and put them on a firm foundation.
Again,
it was through his Gospel that Mark conveyed this message by his presentation
of Jesus as establishing God’s Kingdom. Mark also made clear that every
follower of Jesus must identify with Jesus’ spirit of self-sacrifice and share
in it. As Jesus accepted his cross, and through his death passed to glory, so
his followers too must carry their cross to share in the same glory.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/f0425r/
Saturday, April 25, 2026
St Mark, Evangelist
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
there
is much in us that obscures Your word and keeps us from being truly Your Church. We pray You today:
Call
us, as once You called
Mark, to speak
and live Your word.
Inspire us through Your Spirit and teach us to live in the hope that Your kingdom will come and remain among us through Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and for ever.
Gospel Reading - Mark
16: 15-20
Jesus appeared to the Eleven
and said to them: "Go into the whole
world and proclaim the Gospel
to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those
who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will
speak new languages. They will pick up
serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and
they will recover." Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went
forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord
worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel forms part of the appendix of the Gospel
of Mark (Mk 16: 9-20) which presents a list of some apparitions of Jesus: to Magdalene (Mk 16: 9-11), to the two disciples who were walking
out in the country (Mk
16: 12-13) and to the twelve apostles (Mk 16: 14-18). This last apparition, together with the description
of the Ascension into Heaven (Mk 16: 19-20), forms the Gospel for today.
•
Mark 16: 14: The signs which accompany the
announcement of the Good News. Jesus appears to the eleven disciples and
reproaches them for not believing the persons who had seen Him resurrected.
They did not believe Mary Magdalene (Mk 16: 11), nor the two disciples on the
road out in the country (Mk 16: 13). Several times, Mark refers to the resistance of the disciples
to believing the witness
of those who experienced
the resurrection of Jesus.
Why does Mark insist so much on the lack of faith of the disciples? Probably to teach two things: First, that faith in
Jesus goes through faith in persons who give witness.
Second, that no one
should be discouraged when there
is doubt in the heart. Even the eleven disciples doubted!
•
Mark 16: 15-18:
The mission to announce the Good News to the whole world. After having criticized the lack
of faith of the disciples, Jesus confers their mission to them: “Go out to the
whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does
not believe will be condemned”. To
those who had the courage to believe in the Good News and who are baptized,
Jesus promises the following signs: they
will cast out devils, they will speak new languages, they will pick up snakes
in their hands and be unharmed if they drink deadly poison, and they
will lay their hands on the sick who will recover. This happens even today. To cast out devils is to fight against the force of evil which destroys life. The life of many people improves because they entered
into the community and have begun to live the Good News of the presence
of God in their life.
•
To speak
new languages: it means to begin
to communicate with others in a new way. Sometimes we meet a person whom we have never seen before, and we care deeply for them and
their situation, even though we don't know
them well. This happens because we speak the same language, the language of love.
•
Deadly poison will not harm them: there are many things that poison
life together in community. There is gossip which destroys the relationship
between persons. The one who lives in the presence of God does not participate
in these things and is able to not be disturbed by this terrible poison.
•
They cure the sick. Wherever
there is a clear and lively knowledge of God’s presence, there is also a special
care given to the excluded
and marginalized, especially the sick. What can help cure is that the
person feels accepted and loved.
•
Mark 16: 19-20:
Through the community, Jesus continues His mission. Jesus Himself, who lives in Palestine and accepts the poor of His time,
revealing the love of the
Father to them, continues to be alive in our midst in our community. Through
us, He wants to continue
His mission to reveal the Good
News of God’s love to the poor. Even up to this time the resurrection takes
place, and it impels us to sing: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ,
who will separate us?” No power of this world is capable of neutralizing the
force that comes from faith in the Resurrection (Rm 8: 35-39).
A community which wants to be
a witness of the Resurrection should be a sign of life and should struggle
against the forces
of death in such a way that the world may
be a favorable place for life. Above all, in parts of the world such as Latin
America and the Middle East,
where the life of people
is in danger because of the system of death which has become
common there, the communities should be a living proof of the hope which overcomes the world without
fear of being happy!
Personal Questions
•
How do these signs of God’s presence
take place in my life?
•
What are the signs of the presence
of Jesus in our midst
that convince people the most today?
•
Do I proclaim the Gospel through my words and actions
every day, or just sometimes?
Concluding Prayer
I shall sing the faithful
love of Yahweh
for ever, from age to age my lips shall declare
Your constancy, for You have said: love is built
to last for ever, You have fixed
Your constancy firm in the heavens. (Ps 89: 1-2)
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