Saint Mark’s Sense of Urgency

Ever since my first trip to St. Marc’s School in Cerca, Haiti, I find myself aligned with the Evangelist. My Haitian friends and clergy colleague, through example, teach me about the urgency of the gospel. I’ve come to appreciate the Gospel of Mark more fully in the context of serving the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I’ve learned urgency is important. For example, a delay of a day or two of having food or water in one of the most remote places in Haiti could spell death. I imagine Saint Mark felt this way when writing the earliest gospel and realizing a delay in offering Jesus’ salvation to others would also spell death.

I find it compelling that Mark is known as the founder of Christianity in Africa. Also, now I understand the importance St. Marc’s School which serves our Haitian neighbors who are part of the Africa diaspora. Just as Mark became a resource and a source of strength in Africa, St. Marc’s School has grown into a major resource for all the surrounding villages. It has become a community center where the people congregate, celebrate baptisms, weddings, and other milestones. St. Marc’s School brings people together offering them a purpose greater than themselves, a place where they can find Christ and offer Christ to others.

Saint Mark in his ministry as the Bishop of Alexandria did exactly that. He offered Christ to the people and found Christ among the people. He believed in the urgency of salvation and his gospel reflected that urgency. His life is a testimony to this as he took what was offered at the Council of Jerusalem and shared it with the wider world. Our friends at St. Marc’s School take the same spirit of charity and emulate their namesake’s fervor to offer the grace of Christ to others.

St. Marc’s School has become a centerpiece of Christianity among the poorest villages in the Artibonite River Valley of Haiti. It offers education, clean water, food, and during more peaceful times, medical care. The congregation venerates Saint Mark every April 25 with an extravagant liturgical celebration full of song, dancing, prayers, sermons, and offerings for the benefit of the community.

In our American context, we hold a sense of urgency to finish a job, to negotiate a deal, or to acquire a financial portfolio that will secure our future. We rush our children to this practice or that rehearsal in hopes that they will gain a leg up on their peers. I wonder, as a parent, as a priest, as a Christian, is my sense of urgency misplaced? Can I be more urgent in my faith and in following the great commission?

As Christians we can imitate Saint Mark the Evangelist and our Haitian neighbors with regard to working out our salvation in a much more urgent manner. Saint Mark knew salvation was at hand and he had to spread the gospel far and wide so that other people could benefit from what Christ gave him. We as Christians in a country that is becoming more and more secular in its ideals could approach the great commission with the same energy and passion. All we have to do is follow the example of Saint Mark and the example of our Haitian neighbors.