St Mark the Evangelist
April 25, Feast of St Mark the Evangelist (5 AD - 25 April, 68 AD) The Gospel of St Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. It originated in Rome and is addressed to Romans since a lot of the Jewish traditions are explained in detail but unlike St Mathew’s Gospel, St Mark’s Gospel does not quote the Old Testament which had relevance to the unbelieving Jewish audiences of St Matthew. Another highlight is its fast-paced chronological presentation of the life of Christ - an almost breathless narrative pointing to the Gospel truth that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Redeemer. St Mark’s Gospel, sometimes referred to as the "Gospel of Peter," was written at the behest and under the direction of St Peter. This explains why incidents that St Peter witnessed are described in telling detail, for example, the encounter of Jesus with the possessed man at Capernaum (Mark 1:21-28). The lion (or more correctly the winged lion) symbol is associated with St. Mark the Evangelist bec