In the Roman Catholic tradition, confirmands choose a saint’s name to take as their confirmation name.  Unlike one’s baptismal name, a confirmation name is not one that other people call you, but because it is chosen by the confirmand, it can express something personal about oneself and one’s relationship with God.

This was not part of my tradition, but if I could pick a saint’s name, I would pick Mark.  According to tradition, Mark is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, but this is not why I picked him.

I would pick Mark because he’s the runaway saint.

It is thought that the Mark who wrote the Gospel is the same person who accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journeys.  But Mark went AWOL, leaving Paul and Barnabas by themselves in Pamphylia (southern Turkey) while he headed back to Jerusalem.

Later, when Mark wanted to rejoin them, Paul said ‘nothing doing; I don’t want any quitters on my team.’  Barnabas was in favor of giving Mark another chance, but Paul was adamant.  Rather than give up on Mark, Barnabas separated from Paul and became Mark’s missionary partner.

This is not why I would pick Mark as my special saint’s name either.  My choice is influenced by a runaway incident that happened earlier in Mark’s story.

The gospel of Mark relates an embarrassing detail in his telling of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden.  When the soldiers are taking Jesus away, Mark tells us, “A certain man was following him [Jesus], wearing nothing but a linen cloth.  They [the soldiers] caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” (Mark 14:51-52)

Tradition holds that the young man streaking away from the guards during Jesus’ arrest is none other than the gospel writer himself.  Like Alfred Hitchcock, he has put himself into the scene. 

That’s why I would take his name.  He’s a runaway.  There’s nothing heroic about him.  Like the other disciples, he deserted Jesus. 

Many years later, as an old man, he would write his gospel account.  I think he included this story to tell the naked truth about his infidelity, his lack of courage and grit there in the garden of Gethsemane.  Based on what we read in Acts, Mark’s inclination to run away when the going got tough wasn’t a one-time thing.

And yet, like the rest of the disciples who deserted and denied Jesus, he was forgiven and restored by Jesus.

I can relate to Mark.  Running away seems like the sensible thing to do when men come after you with clubs and spears and swords.  Running home to mother after a long missionary journey with all its hardships (including the company of Paul, who could be prickly to say the least) also seems like a reasonable course of action.

Like Mark, I don’t deny the tendency, even if I’m not proud of it.  But I don’t let myself forget it either.

Neither do I forget that Jesus forgives cowards who run away naked.  In fact, he uses them to tell his story.

Prayer:  I’m fully clothed, but I am wearing sneakers, just in case things get dicey.  I thought you should know.