It is 25th April 2018. We celebrate the Feast of St Mark, the Evangelist. The readings are from 1 Peter 5:5-14; and the Gospel from Mark 16:15-20. Even though John Mark was not one of the twelve disciples, but his contribution in spreading the Good News, he played a remarkable role. A Gospel that provides lot of chronological order, the shortest of the four Gospels, it carries the mission and ministry of Jesus. In his writing, he brought out so strongly that Jesus who has the miraculous power of the Saviour. St. Mark was the writer of the Gospel of Mark and the disciple of St. Peter. He is the cousin of Barnabas and a missionary who accompanied St. Paul in his first missionary journey (Acts. 13:13) and founded the Church in Alexandria. The feast invites us to embark on a mission for Christ with whatever the talent we have. May we profit from his teaching and to follow in the footsteps of Christ. The first reading insists that we must be aware of the gimmicks of the Devil and the need to stand firm even though we had to undergo some sort of pain and suffering. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” (1 Peter 5:7-9). His Holiness Pope Francis encourages us to hold on some of the prayer strings to combat the battle against the Devil in the following lines in his Apostolic Exhortation: On The Call To Holiness In Today’s World. no. 162. “These expressions are not melodramatic, precisely because our path towards holiness is a constant battle. Those who do not realize this will be prey to failure or mediocrity. For this spiritual combat, we can count on the powerful weapons that the Lord has given us: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word of God, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of charity, community life, missionary outreach. If we become careless, the false promises of evil will easily seduce us. As the saint Cura Brochero observed: “What good is it when Lucifer promises you freedom and showers you with all his benefits, if those benefits are false, deceptive and poisonous?” True grace is obtained by going through suffering and pain for the sake of Jesus. The responsorial Psalm praises, “For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” (Ps.89:2). The Gospel of Mark instructs us to be proclaimers of the Good News to all creation. Our baptism, our faith and holiness are for reaching out to the ones who need Christ. May we be generous missionaries to go far and wide to share the message of Christ to everyone. May you have a good day.