Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mark, the evangelist.
Today is also the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald.
St. Mark sets to rhythm the life of Christ with his pen. Ella sets to rhythm song itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRxS7Q64xUQ Here is a link of her singing a jazzy not Black Coffee.
I thought it appropriate to post this particular beauty since yesterday at our Priest study day for the diocese we were told to lower our caffeine intake if we want to lower our stress levels.
Funny, they never mentioned nicotine or cigarettes or smoking a pipe or having a good cigar.
Black coffee has been such a dear friend of mine. So, to Black Coffee, I post Ella fitzgerald sining her song.Today, we honor St. Mark. Mark is an intriguing historical figure.
He was considered a wimp by St. Paul. Apparently, Mark went with Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey and when things got a little rough he bailed on them and went back home. St. Paul looked upon him as a quitter. (Acts 15.)
One could postulate that the gospel of Mark is a diary of wimpy kid. Though MArk started out in a whimper and his reputation as a quitter spread, he eventually found his roar.
In 1 Timothy, St. Paul has had a change in heart and no longer looked upon Mark as useless or as a quitter but found him worthy of admiration.
There is note of grace for all of us in MArk's story. How often have we quit or bailed? YEt, God continue to call and finds ways to use us for his glory.
This wimpy kid in today's gospel spells it our for us beautifully.
"Jesus says, 'go into the 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."
Doesn't sound so wimpy after all.
Why isn't wimpy? Because of the last line of the gospel for today, "While the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs."
Mark gets it. It is through Christ all things are possible. As he probably heard St. Paul say many times, "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me...It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me."
The wimpy kid found his place, and what St. Paul did on his missionary journeys...Mark continues to do each time his gospel is proclaimed from generation to generation.
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