By Melanie Rigney
Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist
“Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name: they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16: 15-18)
“Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Piety
Lord, instill in me the confidence and faith to share Your good news at all times, to go forth as the Eleven did and preach everywhere to those in spiritual suffering.
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/042507.shtml
I reviewed today’s readings a week and a half early, hoping to whip together something snappy and easy. Then I looked around on the Internet for an authoritative article to reference here and was amazed at the heated debate, learned and not so learned, sparked by Mark 16:15-20. A footnote to the reading itself said, “Early citations of it by the Fathers indicate that it was composed by the second century, although vocabulary and style indicate that it was written by someone other than Mark. It is a general resume of the material concerning the appearances of the risen Jesus…”
I found much debate on how literally Christians are to take the five signs in these verses: What is a serpent? What is a demon? What is a deadly draught? Beyond that, I found myself asking whether I as a Catholic truly had to “proclaim the Gospel to every creature” in “the whole world.” Since returning to the Church after a thirty-five year absence, I’ve often turned to St. Francis of
So, what to write for the Tripod? I sent an e-mail to my Cursillo sponsor, who I consider both a friend and role model, about some other business and said something to the effect of “I’m not sure what my take on Catholic evangelism is going to be in this Tripod. I’ll see where my research leads me.”
I had my answer within forty-eight hours, and it didn’t come from the Internet.
First, a young friend who has returned to the Church recently made a comment that resonated with me. She talked of a relationship taking a different turn when a man said things couldn’t progress romantically because she is Catholic. “Before, I might have said, ‘Well, I don’t know if I’m exactly Catholic,’” she said. “Now, I just said, ‘Yes, I’m Catholic.’”
Then I had a chance encounter with my insurance agent. He said I looked preoccupied; I told him I had just seen sample covers for my book that is coming out in October and was still thinking about my comments to the publisher. He asked what the book was about, and I said my return to Catholicism. For five solid minutes, I listened without saying a word as he talked about his and his wife’s hunger to find a parish that would feed to their hearts and souls.
Later, I thanked God for the answer. I will continue to strive to live a faith-filled life that may inspire by example, but I will no longer carefully weigh the appropriateness of using the words God, Jesus, and Catholic outside of church settings. I will evangelize both ways. I will be a proud Catholic.
Action
Take a chance today. Tell someone outside your circle of family, friends, and church that you are a Catholic and why.
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