As we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent, we hear this Sunday the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. This is the Gospel that we will hear proclaimed throughout the coming liturgical year, which began last Sunday.

The Gospel of Mark has a message that is particularly important in these difficult times.

Many scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was written around the year 70 A.D. Mark himself was believed to have been a disciple of St. Peter. When he writes his Gospel, many of the early followers of Jesus are struggling with the problem of suffering. They cannot understand how they have left everything to follow Christ and yet despite being followers of Christ, find themselves experiencing suffering and difficulties. The trials that these early disciples are facing are not agreed upon. Some speculate that Mark’s Gospel may have been written in Rome during the persecutions that the Church experienced there during the time when the great Apostles Peter and Paul were put to death. Others have speculated that the Gospel may have been written in Jerusalem around the same time, when the Temple was destroyed and Christians were no longer granted the protection of worship in the Temple. Regardless of the exact origin of the Gospel, one of its great themes is that of persevering through suffering and hardship.  It is written to bring the Good News of Christ’s resurrection to Christians who cannot understand how they can be experiencing suffering when they are disciples of a loving Saviour. They are struggling to see Christ’s face in the midst of their trials.

This is also a question that many Christians find themselves asking in the midst of today’s pandemic, isolation, uncertainty and anxiety— Where is Jesus our Savior in the midst of all of this?

The answer that the Gospel of Mark gives to the question “where is Jesus in the midst of these hardships?”, is that Jesus is with the disciple who perseveres to the end. Jesus, is with the faithful disciple, who perseveres through hardships, and Christ will raise that faithful disciple up on the last day. By sharing in the cross of Christ in this life, we shall also share in His resurrection.

While we hear the beginning of Mark’s Gospel this Sunday, it is interesting to note how Mark’s Gospel ends. In some ways, the Gospel does not end. Unlike the other Gospels that have a more tidy ending, scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel had actually concluded with the empty tomb—others added a more complete conclusion. The implication of the conclusion at the empty tomb was that the story was not finished. From the empty tomb, the Resurrection was announced, but the story would continue through the discipleship of those who would also carry the cross and make Christ present through the ages. This brings us back to the beginning of the Gospel.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, as we hear the “beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This “Good News” speaks to us of the baptism of Christ that will give His disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. The child that we are preparing to welcome at Christmas, is the Son of God. After His death and resurrection, the Christ child will ascend into Heaven and send upon His disciples the Holy Spirit in order that He might continue to be with them throughout their trials and tribulations. A reality that the Gospel of Mark wishes to communicate is that discipleship cannot come without challenges and struggles. Maybe this is why Mark does not bother with a narrative about the birth of Christ. He simply begins with Jesus at work in the midst of His ministry and mission.

Christ comes to bring us salvation, conquer death and overcome all of the evil forces that have bound humanity. Through His own death and resurrection, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit upon His disciples and invites them through perseverance to also share in His victory over death. In one of the early Christmas prayers of the Church’s liturgy, the wood of the manger is spoken of as prefiguring the wood of the cross. The Gospel of Mark does not shy away from the fact that in order for the Christ child, who has come into the world to save us, to fulfill His mission, He must first die to destroy death and share His victory with us. This reality reminds us, that we too must die in order to rise; we must change and turn towards Christ in order to be His disciples.

The call of the Gospel this Sunday is that of John the Baptist who proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. To really be a disciple of Christ’s, we must turn away from sin and self and recognize who we are as God’s children. So many of us think that we are our own makers and masters. In our individualistic society, we falsely believe that we alone are responsible for all that we are and have. We are under the illusion that we are in control of our lives. This illusion makes us even believe that we can determine when life will begin and end.

COVID 19 has reminded all of us that none of us are in control.

The call of the Gospel this weekend is an invitation to turn away from the illusion that we are in control and turn to—convert to—the God who is in control—the God who made us and has given us all that we have and are. In turning to Christ, we are invited to find eternal life.

As we turn away from sin and towards Christ, Jesus offers us the gift of the Holy Spirit by which He comes to dwell with us. The Holy Spirit gives us Christ’s presence so that we might know that Jesus is with us through the present tribulations and that He might assist us to persevere through these trials to share in His resurrection.

There are some people who believe that Christianity should be a life without problems or difficulties. This kind of Christianity sees the faith as a type of lucky charm that wards off problems and difficulties. Some evangelicals preach this kind of Christianity as they promise wealth and success to those who follow their version of the faith. This is certainly not the Christianity of the Gospel of Mark. It is clearly not what Jesus Christ came to preach.

If we read the Bible from beginning to end, nowhere does it say that those who follow God will be without problems. The message of the Bible is that God will be with His people throughout their problems and will strengthen them to endure through these trials. This is clear through the tribulations of the people of Israel, whom although they struggle, God never abandons.

More clearly, we see this presence of God most perfectly manifested by the coming of Christ, who is given the title “Emanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Even though Mary and Joseph have nothing, Christ is born to them in the poverty of a barn. To the many whom Jesus is sent—the sick, the poor, sinners and outcasts—He makes God’s love present. After His Resurrection, upon His disciples who have left everything to follow Him, Christ sends His Holy Spirit, so that He might always be with them. As He is with them, He promises them eternal life if they persevere in their discipleship and walk with Him through their trials and tribulations.

Mark’s Gospel makes it very clear that Christ is with us in our sufferings.

This same Gospel calls us to turn away from sin and the illusions that we are in control and responsible for all that we have and are and let Christ rule over our hearts. By opening our hearts to Christ’s presence, He comes to us and is with us.

One way that we can turn to Christ is by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation in this Advent season. Even though our churches in many parts of the diocese are limited to 10 people, many parishes will go ahead with the Days of Reconciliation. Our own parish will have two days of Reconciliation on December 12 from 1:00 to 4:30 pm and December 19 from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm. I will be in the church to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession at a safe distance during these times. You may check other parish websites to learn the times in other parishes. There will be someone at the doors of the church to ensure that we never exceed 10 persons in the church at a time.

By celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we make the words of the Psalmist today our own, as it provides us a real way of saying: “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.” Through this Sacrament, we call upon the Lord for the spiritual aide that we hear the Prophet Isaiah asking of God in the midst of his people’s difficulty. The Sacrament fulfills for each of us the instruction that we here from St. Peter today as he states in his second letter: “Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace.”

The Gospel of Mark speaks to us of a God who is always with us in our trials and tribulations. Christ conquered all through His Cross and invites us through our perseverance through trials to share in His resurrection and victory over death. In order to know His presence in our trials today, we must turn away from sin and self and open our hearts to His presence in our lives.

COVID 19 is providing all of us with a reminder that God is God and we are not. May we all turn to Christ this Advent and welcome Him into our hearts that through our faithful discipleship we may also know His coming to us today and at the end of time.

Blessings for Advent!

Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor—St. Peter’s Parish—Toronto.

This reflection is based upon the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent—Year B: Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3: 8-14; and Mark 1: 1-8.