Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,

April 25th is the Feast Day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. The Gospel of St. Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels and even though it doesn’t occur first in the New Testament, it is considered the first Gospel to be written.  St. Mark is not one of the twelve apostles. He is mentioned several times in the Acts of the Apostles as a companion at various times to Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey,  and then later on to Paul, then Peter in the city of Rome. 
It is interesting to note that Mark is the source of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.  I always find these instances of the humanity of the Apostles to be very interesting.  Just because they are saints doesn’t mean that they ceased to be human. As a matter of fact, it gives me great hope to know that even the saints could have misunderstandings and disagreements. It shows us that their sanctity comes not from their own efforts, but because of what Jesus is able to do in them. It gives me hope that even with their human weakness, they are considered great examples of the holiness that we can all attain through Jesus Christ.
St. Mark later becomes the bishop of the city of Alexandria in Egypt. He was martyred there during the persecution of the emperor Nero. His relics were preserved in Alexandria in a Christian church, but the Muslims eventually conquered Egypt. His relics were rescued by sailors from Venice in the ninth century. The relics are now enshrined within the Basilica of Saint Mary in the city of Venice.
The four Gospels have come to be symbolized by the four creatures from the book of Revelation. The Lion is the symbol for the Gospel of Saint Mark. The Gospels provide us with the information we have about the life of our Lord Jesus while He lived among us here on Earth. They are given to us by God through the hands of four different authors.  Each of them was inspired to write what they knew about the life of Jesus in order to help others to come to know the Lord.
Jesus does not need us to write a new Gospel, but He does need us to help make Him known to others.  We are the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus. We who are His followers share in His life. May God help us to share our faith in Jesus, that the Good News of the Gospel may continue to spread and grow.
Mark 16:15-16 “. . .Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation. The man who believes in it and accepts baptism will be saved. . .”
      Msgr. Cox

 Il Leone di San Marco e Santi Cima da Conegliano  (1560)