The Sandals of the Gospel: Humility and the Mission

Voice over by Esther Joyce

1Pt 5:5b-14, Psalm: 88, Mk 16:15-20

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the Church presents us with a man whose name appears only briefly in the Scriptures, yet whose witness has echoed through the ages. He was not one of the Twelve. He was a companion of Paul and Barnabas, a young man who once abandoned the mission but later became Peter’s interpreter and the author of the first Gospel. His life is a testimony to the truth that God writes straight with crooked lines.

The Gospel reading for this feast gives us the final commission of the Risen Lord: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” This is the mandate that shaped Mark’s life. He was not a perfect disciple. When Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey, Mark went with them, but he turned back. Paul later refused to take him on the second journey, causing a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. Mark was a failure in the eyes of the great Apostle. Yet God had not finished with him. Barnabas, whose name means “son of encouragement,” took Mark under his wing. Later, Paul would write from prison, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry.” The one who failed became useful. The one who retreated became a herald.

Saint Peter, in his first letter, calls his readers to humility: “Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.” Mark learned this humility. He learned it in the school of Barnabas. He learned it in the shadow of Peter, whose own failures were profound. And from that humility, he could write a Gospel that highlights the humanity of Jesus, the struggles of the disciples, and the ultimate victory of the Cross.

Pope Francis reflects on Mark’s journey: “The Church is a field hospital. We do not cast out the wounded; we heal them. We do not discard those who have fallen; we lift them up.” St. Augustine, contemplating the spread of the Gospel, wrote, “The Lord’s voice goes out to all nations, and the apostles’ words run to the ends of the earth.”

Mark’s Gospel ends with the promise that the Lord works with His disciples, confirming the word through accompanying signs. Mark experienced this. He did not preach alone. The Lord worked with him, using his gifts, redeeming his failures, and making him a vessel of the Word.

For us today, the feast of Saint Mark is an invitation to embrace our own weakness. We may feel unqualified, as Mark did. We may have failed, as Mark did. We may be overlooked, as Mark was. But the Risen Lord still says to us: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel.” He does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. He takes our failures and redeems them. He takes our stumbling witness and works with it.

This Easter season, let us clothe ourselves with humility. Let us embrace the mission where we are—in our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods. And let us trust that the Lord works with us, confirming His word through our small, faithful steps.

Saint Mark, pray for us. Teach us to begin again, to humble ourselves, and to proclaim the Gospel with the courage of those who know that the Lord is with us always. Amen.

May God bless you all!