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Tradition attests that the runaway boy present in the Garden of Olives during Jesus' arrest was the young Mark, who, from that moment on, became a follower of Christ and his Apostles. As his first mission, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey to Pamphylia. However, according to the Acts of the Apostles, for some reason Mark could not endure the mission and returned to Jerusalem. Looking at these early events in the Christian life of the young John Mark, we can ask ourselves: how is it possible that he was the great companion and interpreter of Saint Peter on his travels, even becoming the author of one of the Gospels? Or: how was someone so accustomed to running away and giving up able to give his life for the faith, embracing martyrdom? This is what Father Paulo Ricardo explains in this sermon on the spiritual evolution of Saint Mark. This homily was given on April 25, 2020, the Feast of Saint Mark, during the morning Mass at the Cristo Rei Parish, in Várzea Grande (MT).