These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Mk 1:1-11)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042522.cfm
All four gospels are anonymous. The names in the titles were added later by the church. The Gospel According to Mark is one of the oldest. We know that “Matthew” and “Luke” had a copy of “Mark” in front of them when they wrote their gospels. So what we celebrate today is not so much a person (because we really don’t know who wrote this gospel), but rather the gospel that person wrote. It is unfortunate that for the feast of the gospel the lectionary-makers chose a passage that is definitely NOT from the hand of the gospel writer we call “Mark.” The passage in the lectionary for today is an addition to the gospel added much later by the church to make the Marcan gospel harmonize with the other gospels. We continue to pray for Ukraine.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. (Jn 20:19-31)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042422.cfm
“Jesus did many other signs . . . but these are written so that you may come to believe” and “may have life in his name.” Here we come to what is the first conclusion of the Fourth Gospel. But then later, after the deaths of Peter and the Beloved Disciple, the gospel writer decided to add a further chapter, Chapter 21, to answer concerns about the respective roles of these two important disciples in life and spirituality of the early church. We pray that Ukraine may have life.
When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. (Jn 21:1-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042222.cfm
One of my favorite Resurrection Appearance Stories: Breakfast by the Sea. He continues to reveal himself to us in the Breaking of the Bread and in our life together.
He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Lk 24:35-48)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042122.cfm
To be a witness . . . to speak of what we have seen and heard—that’s the mission the Risen Lord has given us.
Then the women went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:8)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16
The Gospel of Mark actually ends with the above verse, 16:8. The gospel writer puts the burden of telling the Good News of the Resurrection on the READERS (or rather the HEARERS) of the gospel. The women say nothing to anyone for fear . . . so the disciples and Peter won’t know what has happened unless WE tell them. The gospel writer’s intention was misunderstood by the church and so there were several attempts to write “endings” to the gospel. See the footnotes to the chapter in your Bibles or click on this link https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16. The gospel writer simply wants us to be responsible for spreading the good news! We pray for Ukraine.
