Mark's gospel is generally considered to be the earliest one written. It has a notably terse, swift writing style, as if the author himself wanted to convey the brevity and impact of Christ's mission on earth in his very writing style. As for the man himself, very little is known; nonetheless, a great deal of tradition has been built up around him - in some ways, quite literally.The evangelist's remains are said to currently reside in the Venetian basilica that bears his name, where they have been since 828. According to the tradition, rogue Venetian sailors stole Mark's body from Alexandria by smuggling it in a barrel of pork. His remains were
temporarily lost during the remodel in the late 1oth century, but rediscovered in 1094.Interestingly, this action had religious and political motivations. Supposedly, the religious intent was to fulfill the prophecy given to Mark, that an angel appeared to him when he was on an island in Venice and proclaimed to him, "Pax tibi Marce Evangelista meus," (Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist.) It then told him this would be his final resting place. Since he died in Alexandria, according to tradition, the sailors were only making God's will known. However, they were also freeing Venice from any political affiliation. Previously, Venice's patron saint was Theodore, a distinctly eastern saint. They didn't want to switch to the popular Peter or Paul, which would imply fealty to Rome.
When they chose Mark and ensconced him in their church, the basilica became the Doge's private palace. The Doge was the elected leader of Venice, with mostly ceremonial duties. The church was attached directly to his palace, and was gilded and remodeled into one of the most beautiful wonders of Italian architecture. In other words, Mark was reserved only for those in power.This seems to be one of the darkest of human tendencies - the desire to claim a piece of God's universal story for themselves alone. For the Venetians, their exclusive claim on this evangelist was to grant them power over the sea, confidence in defeating both east and west, and a place in eternal history. To be fair, they're not the only once who stole a holy person's remains or called something holy a secular right - but it certainly is a strong example of it. I cannot help but wonder what Mark, this man of few words wishing only to proclaim God's good news in Jesus Christ would have to say about being fought over, covered in gold mosaics, and lifted up not as a testimony to God's work but as evidence of human jealousy and greed. I suspect he would have a few choice words to say about it.
God of all people, our selfishness leads us to claim you and your power only for ourselves. You know our darkest tendencies, our self-driven will, our resistance to your message of love and self-sacrifice, and yet you still sent your Son into our midst. Grant us the grace to open our hearts and minds to his mercy given to all people, sinners and saints, and give us the words to always glorify Your Name alone. Amen.
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