Daily Retreat 04/25/06

2006 Apr 25 Tue: Mark, ev F

1 Pt 5: 5b-14/ Ps 88(89): 2-3. 6-7. 16-17/ Mk 16: 15-20

From today’s readings: "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.... Blessed the people who know the joyful shout.... Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature...."

Mark His Word

Our God is alive and active in our lives - certainly all of us have experienced His blessings and His presence. But we probably take for granted much of what we know about Him - Holy Scripture reminds us about the Salvation History that began long before our time.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mark. His Gospel is the shortest, and probably the earliest written. The Gospel passage in the lectionary today recall Christ's great commissioning of His Apostles at the end of His time on earth, but in order to grasp the full significance of that moment, it's important to read Mark's whole Gospel to understand those final words.

If you've never sat down and read a whole book of the Bible, St. Mark's Gospel is a great place to start, especially since it is featured in this year’s Sunday lectionary cycle. The sixteen chapters can be read in just an hour or two, and by reading the whole Gospel, one is able to connect the teachings and actions of Christ throughout His whole life and make them a part of our whole lives!