Meditation on the Gospel for 5/23/05

At the Divine Liturgy

First Reading Acts 22: 22-29
Gospel Reading Mark 1: 14-20

Today we begin, in earnest, the observance of the daily discipline of the season of Gracetide. During this long season, we will be hearing for quite some time from Mark's Gospel. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, we will be celebrating the feast days of many saints, but on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for this year, Mark is our man.

Today as we embark on this journey, we are given a stark and simple presentation of the Gospel. It is a call to repentance in anticipation of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Mark was a simple man, and he appears to have been preaching to simple people. All too often I hear about the Gospel of John and Paul when, in fact, I believe Mark is the best place to start a new-Christian in their walk with Christ.

Mark is the portrait of simplicity. It is neither a theological masterwork nor an ethnically-nuanced tome. It is a simple Gospel written for God's people... filled with many messages that are simply put.

Today, as Mark recounts the calling of the first disciples, we can her the simplicty of Jesus' words echoing down to us, calling us to a life that is converted - sanctified, if you will - day by day in the deep well of the mercy and love of God made manifest in Christ Jesus. That love will lead us, in accordance with the will of God, to our destiny in Christ... whatever it may be.

For Paul, that destiny was pain, suffering for the faith, and ultimately giving his life as a witness to the love of Christ. Today, in our first reading from Acts, we begin to get a sense of how this took shape, and the great forbearance that Paul had through his abiding trust in the unshakable love of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Is the simple message of Mark enough for us today? Are we willing to put aside those things that hinder us from following his simple, "the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel"?

In the weeks to come, we will hear other words, echoed simply by Mark's writing: "You are the Christ!" from Peter, or "whoever does not believe will be condemned" from our Lord himself. Are we ready to read, hear, learn, mark, and inwardly digest these and the other words of God, written by Mark, or will we turn away and seek another Gospel?

Let's walk this journey, beloved, with Mark. Let us walk the journey with him, and let us pray that we may embrace his simplicity of faith and directness of reason, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.