It was last year, while listening to The Bible In A Year Podcast, that the deep beauty of the Gospel of Mark was revealed to me. In the past, likely due to its brevity, I had not given his message the focus I had prescribed to the other Gospel writers. Yet its brevity is a mark of beauty, as it compelled Saint Mark to write succinctly.
There are many lessons we learn from Mark’s Gospel, and even with its shortness, innumerable unique aspects are found therein. It is only in his Gospel that we hear Jesus called, “Son of Mary.” (Mark 6:3) He is also the only Gospel writer who identifies himself as the author.
Euthus, Immediately
Though I found, and continue to find, abundant wisdom in Saint Mark’s Gospel, one lesson—rather one word—stands out: immediately. Saint Mark uses the word euthus, translated immediately, over forty times in his Gospel. Averaging two times per chapter, this word allows Saint Mark to evoke in the reader a sense of urgency, a sense of the now..
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The Time For Grace Is Now
Saint Mark teaches us the importance of action in the present moment. So often I fall into the temptation of indecision. As theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard taught, making no decision is a decision in itself. Too easily, I fall into the sin of sloth, which at its root, is lack of charity toward God and neighbor. We can combat both of these personal defects with Saint Mark’s call to immediacy—his invitation to live life fully present, fully alive, full of grace.
Saint Mark reminds us that grace is found in the present moment, and the time for grace is now. When we do things immediately, when we glorify God, when we love Him and our neighbor right now, we are imitating our Lord. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus prays immediately, moves immediately, teaches immediately. He does not wait, rather, He entrusts His will to the Father and acts. Within those immediate actions, grace is outpoured.
The Action We Can Take Now
Is there a decision that you need to make that you have been putting off? Is there a conversation or a phone call that you feel called to initiate or a message which you are prompted to write that you just haven’t done? Do you feel moved to serve, but just haven’t started yet? Often a spirit of fear, timidity, and anxiety can paralyze us. Sloth enters in. It’s easier to scroll than it is to move. It’s easier to not decide than it is to use our heart, mind, wisdom, and will. It’s easier to live passively, taking life as it comes, rather than making a decision and living with its consequences—good or bad.
However, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). God has placed us in this time in history, this very moment, this very now, to live a life of abundance—to glorify Him and spread His message of hope, joy, and Resurrection. He has called us to a life of discernment and decision, a life of both faith and action, a life of love and works.
“Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36).
The powerful reality in this all is that we need not fear. “What if I make the wrong decision?” is a question that often halts our resolutions. But even if we do, God will bless our goodwill and our trust, and will create beauty—sometimes even more beauty (O Happy Fault!)—from the decisions we make. Pray, discern, seek counsel, and then act. God blesses a decisive heart.
There are many fruits to living in the immediacy that Saint Mark proclaims. A slothful heart is won over by virtue, union with the Father is achieved, and good works abound. May we, on this Feast of Saint Mark, pray, hope, act, and receive—always uniting our will with the Father’s and trusting in His abundant goodness and grace.
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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