St. Mark

The Original…

Coptic Orthodoxy…how beautiful it is. Our church in all its beauty has seen it all.

Yet, there is a lingering question that stands strong: “Who started it?”

Allow me to introduce a figure of whom none of us are worthy of his many blessings.

One in whom’s footsteps shaped the very foundation of the faith we hold so dearly. A

man who’s pen wrote the very same Gospel account we read till this day. An individual who planted the seed of Christianity and salvation every place he set his foot. Often symbolized by a lion in all of his images for his courage and strength. Have you guessed? Our evangelist, apostle, and martyr, St. Mark.

The Evangelism and Martyrdom of St. Mark the Apostle

Our great saint was born in Cyrene to Jewish parents. He was a cousin of St.

Barnabus as well as a close disciple of St. Peter. St. Mark’s role as an evangelist was

crucial. First and foremost, he wrote the very Gospel account that we continue to read

till this day. He traveled to Alexandria, Egypt in which he had first began preaching

Christianity.

There is a beautiful occurrence that happens right at the start of his mission of

preaching to Alexandria. It is said that when he entered Alexandria, his sandal ripped. He did not have a replacement and so his only remaining option was to go to a shoemaker and get it fixed. The shoemaker, Anianus, pierced his hand with the needle as he was fixing St. Mark’s sandal. He immediately exclaimed,

“Oh the one God!” This caught the attention of our saint. St. Mark asked the shoemaker if he knew who the One God was.

When he noticed Anianus’s unfamiliarity with this phrase, he did not hesitate and took this opportunity to preach to him. Anianus and his family eventually were baptized because of St. Mark’s preachings about our Lord Jesus. Preaching in Alexandria was a difficult and bold move. It was known that Alexandria was concentrated with pagan worship. There was also a very large Jewish audience. These two backgrounds required much boldness, courage, and faith to be able to allow the word of God to seep into their hearts and souls. St. Mark was able to accomplish just that through the work of the Holy Spirit. He never stopped preaching even through the difficulties of increased persecution and the many differences in opinions that he was surrounded by. Never once did our pure apostle shy away from relaying God's word to those around him: we should learn to do that very same. 

St. Mark eventually was seized by the pagans. They tortured him by tying a thick

rope around his neck and dragging him across the streets in a cruel way. His flesh was

torn and they threw him in prison. An angel appeared to him while he was in prison and reassured him that his name was written in the book of life. He attained peace. The very next day the pagans did the same to him as they had done the day before. The evangelist delivered his soul to God on the 30th of Baramouda. The pagans were not satisfied with his martyrdom and wanted to further their actions by burning his body. They prepared firewood yet God did not allow for it and sent a storm and strong winds in order to protect the body of the saint. The believers saw this and came, took his body, and honored it by sending it to a church to be prayed on and preserved.

St. Mark: An Example for Me and You

St. Mark the Apostle should be taken as an example for each one of us. On a daily

basis, we encounter people that do not know God. We are called to deliver the joyful

message of salvation to them. We have it easy compared to our courageous saint who

dealt with many difficulties so very often. Many people around us are thirsty for Christ yet we don’t know it because we usually don’t take initiative. We should learn from our brave saint and be bold in sharing the Gospel. We must live a life of holiness and take every opportunity to be a witness for Christ. May we learn to not be timid in our faith and be able to spread it to the ends of earth just as St. Mark did previously. May his holy blessings be with us all. Amen.