Saint Mark was not one of the twelve apostles but a disciple of these, especially Saint Peter.
Newsroom (25/04/2022, 8:45 PM Gaudium Press) On this April 25, we commemorate the Feast of the Evangelist Saint Mark, a sublime and modest preacher who converted through the apostleship of Saint Peter went on to serve as secretary to the First Pope of the Church.
In one of the innumerable trips to Rome undertaken by both saints, Mark enchanted and enthused all the multitude with his magnificent and overwhelming preaching. He led all the people to ask him to write his Gospel to perpetuate the remarkable facts of the life of the Divine Savior that the Evangelists had heard from the lips of the Apostle Peter.
And so it happened! With his teachings and apostolic ardour, he converted countless Gentiles, mainly in the regions of Aquileia, Alexandria and the Pentapolis.
The Divine Master Consoled Him
After tireless work, on arriving in Alexandria, some priests of the pagan temples, filled with rage by the number of people who converted to Christianity at the hands of the Evangelist, surprised him while he was celebrating his Easter Mass. They tied a rope around his neck and dragged him throughout the city. After this torture, he was taken to prison, where he received a visit from the Divine Master, who consoled him and told him that his hour had come.
The following day they repeated the atrocious torture during which, amid pains and wounds, he delivered his soul to God.
Nature Protests
After his death, a horde of pagans wanted to burn his body. Suddenly the weather became cloudy, and all nature, as if protesting against such a criminal act, began a ferocious storm with hail, lightning and lightning that dispersed the evil combination leaving the body intact.
Thus, the Christians were able to collect the holy martyr’s body and bury it in a church where they could render him due worship.
Later his relics were transferred to the cathedral that bears his name in Venice and remain there for the veneration of the faithful who devoutly, through the saint’s intercession, ask for graces, often being answered with countless benefits as well as stupendous miracles. (JSG)
……………………………………………….
Sources:
EDELVIVES, El Santo de Cada Dia, Editorial Luis Vives, S.A., Zaragoza, 1947, tome II, p. 566.
HEMENWAY, Priya, The Little Book of Saints, Pensamento; p. 54.
SGARBOSSA, Mario; GIOVANNINI, Luigi; Un Santo para cada dia, Sociedad de San Pablo, Bogotá, 2007.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
Related Images:
