On April 25th we celebrate the Holy, Glorious, Apostle and Evangelist Mark. (Otherwise known as John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas). He is symbolized by a lion with wings. The lion represents the power and glory of the resurrection. Also, when you read the beginning of Mark’s gospel, it fits with the image of a lion roaring. As for the wings… all the symbolic depictions of the gospel writers include wings. The wings remind us of their connection to heaven, for the scriptures were all written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him”
We mainly recognize St. Mark for his Gospel. Although, he is also known for founding the church in Alexandria, with him being the first Patriarch of Alexandria. Even today, the patriarch of Alexandria is called the successor of St. Mark.
Traditions of St. Mark
Traditionally, St. Mark is identified as the man carrying water, in whose house the last supper took place. This connection means that St. Mark would have been an unmarried man. (For carrying water was a woman’s job). This also increases the likelihood that St. Mark had taken a vow of celibacy, given that he was unmarried. Around the time of Jesus, there was a portion of the Jewish population that formed a sect called the Essenes, who mainly were around Qumran. These Jews were intensely interested in the meaning of the coming of the Messiah, and thus had a value for celibacy not present in the rest of the Jewish population. John the Baptist, and Lazarus, are also possibly from the Essene population.
It is also thought that Mark may have been the man who ran away naked when Christ was arrested. (Not sure why this is a tradition, but if someone knows, let me know in the comments).
The Martyrdom of St. Mark
When St. Mark was celebrating the feast of Easter in the year of our Lord 68, the pagans were celebrating their god, Syrabis. The large crowd of pagans were angry that St. Mark was proclaiming the resurrection of Christ and the futility of their religion. So they seized St. Mark, tied a rope around his neck, and dragged him through the streets until he was dead. There is a tradition that holds the pagans had planned to burn St. Mark’s body after this gruesome death. However, a large storm with heavy rains rolled in after they had gathered firewood, and the pagans left St. Marks body. Then, the Christians gave St. Mark a proper burial.
How to Celebrate St. Mark with Children
- Find a historic map of Alexandra from the time of Christ. Look at where St. Mark travelled and evangelized.
- Colour an Icon of St. Mark (check out our pinterest boards for icon colouring pages!)
- Chant the Prayers and Tropars for the Feast of St. Mark with your family at icon corner or before supper (or both)
Prayers and Tropars
Troparion: (tone 3) Learning from Peter the chief apostle, you too became an apostle of Christ, and shown on the lands like the sun. O blessed one, adornment of Alexandrians, through you Egypt was freed from deceit, for you are a pillar of light for the Church, enlightening all with your teaching of the Good News. Therefore, we feast your memorial, O Mark divinely inspired. Ask God, whom you preached to all to grant to our souls forgiveness of sins.
Kontakion: (tone 2) You received from on high the grace of the Spirit, O Mark, most glorious apostle, and you destroyed the snares of the orators. You caught the nations and brought them to the Master by preaching to them the Good News.
Prokeimenon: (tone 8) Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, and their words into the ends of the world Verse: the heavens tell the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hand.
The Byzantine Life
Thank you for checking out this week’s article. If you haven’t already, you can read our article about St. George who we celebrate tomorrow (April 23rd).
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Really enjoyed your post on Saint Mark. I was blessed with being able to visit the alter that houses his remains in Saint Mark’s in Venice and the story of how they got there is really interesting!