Saint of the day April 25: Saint Mark the Evangelist. Catholic Saints

Saint Mark was originally from the Jerusalem area and, as such, belonged to the Jewish people. In the Acts of the Apostles, Mark appears accompanying Paul and Barnabas, his cousin, heading to Antioch, on the first missionary journey. Later he would also accompany them to the city of Rome, capital of the empire. Later, Marcos appears again but this time separated from them, in Perga, from where he would return home.

Later, Barnabas would also take a different course than Paul, heading to the island of Cyprus to reunite with his cousin, Mark. Apparently, as the story of Saint Luke suggests in the Facts, Mark’s departure on that initial trip was not to Paul’s complete liking. Anyway, years later, the Apostle to the Gentiles and Saint Mark would get together to undertake another missionary journey.

The Evangelist Mark, it should be noted, also made a long journey with Saint Peter, accompanying him to Rome. Whoever was the first Pope used to refer to him as “my son”, evidencing the relationship of trust and closeness that both had. The fruits of that close friendship can be seen in the way Mark crafts his account of the life of our Lord. The saint managed to capture in a remarkable way the direct testimony of the greatest of the apostles, Peter, even with the drama of his successes and his falls. Thus, the Gospel of Mark contributes enormously to the understanding of the divinity of Jesus, thanks to the emphasis placed on how the Lord was capable of forgiving and on his pedagogy, reflected in each of his miracles.