{"id":280,"date":"2006-09-21T22:17:00","date_gmt":"2006-09-22T03:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?page_id=280"},"modified":"2023-11-14T12:04:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T17:04:51","slug":"about-mark","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/about-mark\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MARK MALLETT<\/strong> is a Roman Catholic singer\/songwriter and missionary. He has performed and preached throughout North America and abroad.<\/p>\n

The messages posted on this website are the fruit of prayer and ministry. Any posting which contains elements of \u201cprivate revelation\u201d have been subjected to the discernment of Mark\u2019s spiritual director.<\/p>\n

Visit Mark\u2019s 0fficial website and explore his music and ministry at:
\nwww.markmallett.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Privacy Policy<\/a><\/p>\n

Contact<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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A letter of commendation from Mark's Bishop, Most Reverend Mark Hagemoen of the Saskatoon, SK Diocese:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tLetter from Bishop Mark\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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The following is an excerpt from Mark\u2019s book, <\/em>The Final Confrontation... and explains the impetus behind this blog.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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The Calling<\/h1>\n\t\t
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MY<\/strong>\u00a0days as a television reporter eventually came to an end and my days as a full time Catholic evangelist and singer\/songwriter began. It was in this phase of my ministry that suddenly a new mission was given to me... one that forms the impetus and context of this book. For you\u2019ll see that I have added some of my own thoughts and \u201cwords\u201d which I have received through prayer and discerned in spiritual direction. They are, perhaps, like little lights pointing to the Light of Divine Revelation. The following is a story to explain this new mission further...<\/p>\n

In August of 2006, I was sitting at the piano singing a version of the\u00a0 Mass part \u201cSanctus,\u201d which I had written: \u201cHoly, Holy, Holy...\u201d Suddenly, I felt a powerful urge to go and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.<\/p>\n

At the church, I began to pray the Office (the official prayers of the Church outside of the Mass.) I noticed immediately that the \u201cHymn\u201d was the same words I\u2019d just been singing: \u201cHoly, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty...<\/em>\u201d My spirit began to quicken. I continued, praying the words of the Psalmist, \u201cBurnt offering I bring to your house; to you I will pay my vows...\u201d Within my heart welled up a great longing to give myself completely to God, in a new way, on a deeper level. I was experiencing the prayer of the Holy Spirit who \u201cintercedes with inexpressible groanings<\/em>\u201d (Rom 8:26).<\/p>\n

As I spoke with the Lord, time seemed to dissolve. I made personal vows to Him, all the while feeling within me a growing zeal for souls. And so I asked, if it be His will, for a greater platform from which to share the Good News. I had the entire world in mind! (As an evangelist, why would I want to cast my net only a short distance from shore? I wished to drag it across the whole sea!) Suddenly it was as though God was answering back through the prayers of the Office. The First Reading was from the book of Isaiah and was titled, \u201cThe call of the prophet Isaiah\u201d.<\/p>\n

Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. \u201cHoly, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!\u201d they cried one to the other.\u201d (Isaiah 6:2-3)<\/span><\/p>\n

I continued to read how the Seraphim then flew to Isaiah, touching his lips with an ember, sanctifying his mouth for the mission ahead. \u201cWhom shall I send? Who will go for us?<\/em>\u201d Isaiah responded, \u201cHere I am, send me!<\/em>\u201d Again, it was as though my earlier spontaneous conversation was unfolding in print. The reading went on to say that Isaiah will be sent to a people who listen but do not understand, who look but see nothing. The Scripture seemed to imply that the people will be healed once they do listen and look. But when, or \u201chow long?<\/em>\u201d asks Isaiah. And the Lord answered, \u201cUntil the cities are desolate, without inhabitants, houses, without a man, and the earth is a desolate waste.<\/em>\u201d That is, when mankind has been humbled, and brought to its knees.<\/p>\n

The second reading was from St. John Chrysostom, words which seemed as though they were being spoken directly to me:<\/p>\n

You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world's sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you into two cities only or ten or twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state... he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many... they are to be teachers not simply for Palestines but for the whole world. Do not be surprised, then, he says, that I address you apart from the others and involve you in such a dangerous enterprise... the greater the undertakings put into your hands, the more zealous you must be. When they curse you and persecute you and accuse you over every evil, they may be afraid to come forward. Therefore he says: \u201cUnless you are prepared for that sort of thing, it is in vain that I have chosen you. Curses shall necessarily be your lot but they shall not harm you and simply be a testimony to your constancy. If through fear, however, you fail to show the forcefulness your mission demands, your lot will be much worse.\u201d<\/strong> \u2014St. John Chrysostom, Liturgy of the Hours<\/em>, Vol. IV, p. 120-122<\/span><\/p>\n

The last sentence really struck me, for just the night before, I was worrying about my fear of preaching since I have no clerical collar, no theological degree, and [eight] children to provide for.\u00a0But this fear was answered in the following Responsory: \u201cYou will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you\u2014and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, I was overwhelmed with what the Lord seemed to be saying to me: that I was being called upon to exercise the ordinary prophetic charism. On the one hand, I thought it to be rather presumptuous to think such a thing. On the other, I could not explain the supernatural graces which were welling up within me.
\nMy head spinning and my heart aflame, I went home and opened my Bible and read:<\/p>\n

I will stand at my guard post, and station myself upon the rampart, and keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint. (Habb 2:1)<\/span><\/p>\n

This in fact is what Pope John Paul II asked of us youth when we gathered with him at World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada, in 2002:<\/p>\n

In the heart of the night we can feel frightened and insecure, and we impatiently await the coming of the light of dawn. Dear young people, it is up to you to be the watchmen of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12) who announce the coming of the sun who is the Risen Christ!<\/strong> \u2014Message of the Holy Father to the Youth of the World, XVII World Youth Day, n. 3<\/span><\/p>\n

The young have shown themselves to be for Rome and for the Church a special gift of the Spirit of God\u2026 I did not hesitate to ask them to make a radical choice of faith and life and present them with a stupendous task: to become \u201cmorning watchmen\u201d at the dawn of the new millennium.<\/strong> \u2014POPE JOHN PAUL II, Novo Millennio Inuente<\/em>, n.9<\/span><\/p>\n

This call to \u201cwatch\u201d was repeated by Pope Benedict in Australia when he asked the youth to be messengers of a new era:<\/p>\n

Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith's rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God's gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished\u2014not rejected, feared as a threat, and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy, and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age...<\/strong> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, Homily, World Youth Day, Sydney, Australia, July 20th, 2008<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, I felt the urge to open the Catechism\u2014a 904 page volume\u2014and, without knowing what I would find, I turned directly to this:<\/p>\n

In their \u201cone to one\u201d encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their mission. Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to The Word of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior of God, the Lord of history.<\/strong> \u2014Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> (CCC), 2584, under heading: \u201cElijah and the prophets and conversion of heart\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason I write the above is not to declare that I am a prophet. I am simply a musician, a father, and a follower of the Carpenter from Nazareth. Or as the spiritual director of these writings says, I am simply \u201cGod\u2019s little courier.\u201d With the strength of this experience before the Blessed Sacrament, and the assurances I received through spiritual direction, I began to write according to the words which were placed in my heart and based upon what I could see upon the \u201crampart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our Blessed Lady\u2019s command to St. Catherine Labour\u00e9 perhaps summarizes best what my personal experience has been:<\/p>\n

You will see certain things; give an account of what you see and hear. You will be inspired in your prayers; give an account of what I tell you and of what you will understand in your prayers.<\/strong> \u2014St. Catherine, Autograph<\/em>, February 7th, 1856, Dirvin, Saint Catherine Labour\u00e9, Archives of the Daughters of Charity, Paris, France; p.84<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Prophets, true prophets, those who risk their neck for proclaiming \u201cthe truth\u201d
\neven if uncomfortable, even if \u201cit is not pleasant to listen to\u201d...
\n\u201cA true prophet is one who is able to cry for the people
\nand to say strong things when needed.\"
\n<\/span>The Church needs prophets. These kinds of prophets.
\n\u201cI will say more: She needs us all<\/em> to be prophets.\"<\/strong>
\n\u2014POPE FRANCIS, Homily, Santa Marta; April 17th, 2018;\u00a0Vatican Insider<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MARK MALLETT is a Roman Catholic singer\/songwriter and missionary. He has performed and preached throughout North America and abroad. The messages posted on this website are the fruit of prayer and ministry. Any posting which contains elements of \u201cprivate revelation\u201d have been subjected to the discernment of Mark\u2019s spiritual director. Visit Mark\u2019s 0fficial website and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-280","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout - The Now Word<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/about-mark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About - The Now Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MARK MALLETT is a Roman Catholic singer\/songwriter and missionary. 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