On this Saturday within the radiant afterglow of Paschaltide, as the Church commemorates S. Marci Evangelistæ—the Evangelist whose voice resounds like a lion in the wilderness—we are invited into a mystery both fiery and missionary. The sacred texts from Ezekiel (1:10–14) and Luke (10:1–9) unveil a profound unity: contemplation that bursts into mission, vision that becomes proclamation.
The Prophet Ezekiel beholds the living creatures, each bearing four faces—of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle—darting forth like flashes of lightning. The Fathers have long discerned in this vision the four Evangelists, each reflecting a facet of Christ. St. Jerome writes, “The four living creatures are the four Gospels, which together form one perfect proclamation of Christ.” In this mystical symbolism, St. Mark is most often identified with the lion—his Gospel opening with the cry in the desert, echoing strength, urgency, and royal authority.
Yet the vision is not static. Ezekiel notes that “they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward” (Ez 1:12). St. Gregory the Great reflects that the Evangelists, filled with the Spirit, proclaim the truth without deviation: “They go forward without turning, because in preaching they do not bend to human favor or fear.” Their motion, like lightning, reveals divine zeal—swift, illuminating, and irresistible.
Turning to the Gospel, we find Our Lord appointing seventy-two disciples and sending them two by two ahead of Him. This missionary sending reflects the same divine dynamism seen in Ezekiel’s vision. The Word who was contemplated is now to be announced. St. Ambrose observes: “The Lord sends them two by two, that charity might be shown, for no one can love himself alone.” Mission is not solitary—it is ecclesial, bound in communion.
The instructions given are austere: no purse, no bag, no sandals. The laborers are to rely wholly upon Providence. St. Cyril of Alexandria remarks, “He commands them to be free from worldly cares, so that their minds may be wholly intent on the divine message.” Like the living creatures borne by the Spirit, they are not encumbered—they move swiftly, guided by the will of God.
And what is their message? “Peace to this house… The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” It is a message both gentle and urgent. St. Augustine teaches, “Peace is the tranquility of order; and the kingdom of God is near when the soul is rightly ordered under God.” The Evangelist Mark, in his Gospel, proclaims this same nearness with vivid immediacy: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Thus, in honoring St. Mark on this Paschal Saturday, we are drawn into the rhythm of the Christian life: to behold Christ in contemplation, and to be sent forth in proclamation. The lion must roar—but only after it has first listened at the feet of the Lamb.
Let us, then, ask for the grace to be like those living creatures: steadfast in truth, aflame with divine charity, swift to do the will of God. May St. Mark intercede for us, that our lives may become a Gospel—proclaimed not only in words, but in the radiant witness of a soul set ablaze by the Risen Christ.