Homily for 25 April 2018

25 April 2018

Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature,” says Jesus.  In the Church there’s a lot of talk of the New Evangelization, going out as missionary disciples to do just that: to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel.  But, you know, Jesus didn’t tell everyone to do that.  St. Mark tells us that he came to the Apostles and commissioned them, specifically, to be missionary disciples.

But, at the same time, we know that the Lord empowers other people, too, besides the Apostles.  After all, our feast day today is centered on St. Mark—an evangelist, but not one of the twelve Apostles.  So we know that others besides the original Twelve were called by the Lord.  But, still, not everyone is called to “go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel.”

In the Gospel of Mark, there’s what we call the “Messianic secret.”  Various people (and some demons) recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and even as the Son of God.  But he says to those people, “Quiet!  Don’t tell anyone.”  Jesus says that again and again in Mark’s Gospel: “Don’t tell anyone that I’m the Messiah.”  That’s the “Messianic secret.”

And maybe Jesus did that because he doesn’t want just anybody going out and telling others about him.  He only wants people to do that whom he specifically called and commissioned to do it.  Not everybody is called to be an evangelist.  This is something St. Paul talks about in his letter to the Ephesians.  He writes that Jesus, “gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers....”

Not everybody is called to be an evangelist.  And if we’re not called, then it’s best that we try not to be one—for the good of Christ’s mission.  But, at the same time, we are each called to “proclaim the Gospel” in the way that our Blessed Mother proclaimed the good news: by the manner of our life, through “preaching by example.”  St. Peter gives us some guidance in that we he talks about a life of humility and simplicity, steadfast faith, sobriety and vigilance in looking to see how the Lord is at work in our lives.

We may not each be called to be evangelists, like St. Mark, but we are called by God to “preach the gospel” by the manner of our life, each in our own way, according to the gifts God has given us.