Vigils Reading – St Mark

From a sermon by

ST JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

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The chief points of St Mark’s history are these: first, that he was nephew to

Barnabas, and taken with him and St Paul on their first apostolic journey; next,

that after a short time he deserted them and returned to Jerusalem; then, that

after an interval, he was St Peter’s assistant at Rome, and composed his Gospel

there principally from the accounts which he received from that Apostle; lastly,

that he was sent by him to Alexandria, in Egypt, where he founded one of the

strictest and most powerful churches of the primitive times.

The points of contrast in his history are as follows: that first he abandoned

the cause of the Gospel as soon as danger appeared; afterwards, he proved

himself, not merely an ordinary Christian, but a most resolute and exact servant

of God, founding and ruling the strictest Church of Alexandria. And the

instrument of this change was, as it appears the influence of St Peter, a fit

restorer of a timid and backsliding disciple.

The encouragement which we derive from these circumstances in St

Mark’s history, is that the feeblest among us may through God’s grace become

strong. And the warning to be drawn from it is, to distrust ourselves; and again,

not to despise weak brethren, or to despair of them, but to bear their burdens

and help them forward, if so be we may restore them…

Some are naturally impetuous and active; others love quiet and readily

yield. The over-earnest must be sobered, and the indolent must be roused. The

history of Moses supplies us with an instance of a proud and rash spirit, tamed

down to an extreme gentleness of deportment. In the greatness of the change

wrought in him, when from a fierce, though honest avenger of his brethren, he

became the meekest of human beings on earth, he evidences the power of faith,

the influence of the Spirit on the heart.

St Mark’s history affords a specimen of the other, and still rarer change,

from timidity to boldness. Difficult as it is to subdue the more violent passions,

yet I believe it to be still more difficult to overcome a tendency to sloth,

cowardice, and despondency. These evil dispositions cling about a person, and

weigh him down. They are minute chains, binding him on every side to the

earth, so that he cannot even turn himself or make an effort to rise. It would

seem as if right principles had yet to be planted in the indolent mind; whereas

violent and obstinate tempers had already something of the nature of firmness

and zeal in them, or rather what will become so with care, exercise, and God’s

blessing. Besides, the events of life have a powerful influence in sobering the

ardent or self-confident temper. Disappointments, pain anxiety, advancing

years, bring with them some natural wisdom as a matter of course; and, though

such tardy improvement bespeaks but a weak faith, yet we may believe that the

Holy Spirit often blesses these means, however slowly and imperceptibly…

St Mark’s change, therefore, may be considered even more astonishing in

its nature than that of the Jewish Lawgiver. “By faith,” he was “out of weakness

made strong,” and becomes a memorial of the more glorious and marvelous

gifts of the last and spiritual Dispensation.