CHAPTER ONE 5

CHAPTER TWO 27

CHAPTER THREE 34

CHAPTER FOUR 40

INTRODUCTION 1

We begin a series of talks about the Gospel of Mark.2 One can ask why I chose this particular Gospel. I chose it for a very personal reason. I became a believer by encountering this Gospel; And this is no coincidence. If I had read the Gospel of Matthew, which was addressed to the Jews, the believing Jews of that time, or the Gospel of John, which is very deeply immersed in both philosophical and theological thought, I probably would not have understood them when I was fourteen years old. The Gospel of Mark was written by a disciple of the Apostle Peter precisely for such young people, young savages as I was at that time, written in order to give an idea of the teaching of Christ and His person to those young people who needed it most. And that's why I've chosen this Gospel now. It is written short, strong, and I hope it will reach the souls of other people, just as it turned my soul upside down and transformed my life.

Before proceeding to the Gospel itself, I want, first, to say something about the Evangelist Mark, because before conversing with a living person, of course, one wants to know who he is, what he says, why he is listened to; and secondly, to tell how to read the Gospel and how to study it together.

The Gospel of Mark is, as far as is known, the earliest of the four Gospels, and was probably written in Rome about 70 A.D. From the Epistles (Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24) we know that Mark wrote it for Gentile Christians. This is evident from the fact that there are few references to Jewish law and the Old Testament, but explanations are given about the meaning of Hebrew words and customs. The style of the Evangelist Mark is remarkably lively and expressive. For example, he often uses the expression "immediately" or "immediately". It is interesting to notice the mass of small details reported by this evangelist. This clearly shows that Mark received first-hand information from an eyewitness, most likely from the apostle Peter. It is difficult to admit that it is possible to compose such a detailed, sober, sincere story; it bears the stamp of truthfulness, of which you become more and more convinced as you study it.

I would also like to say a few words about how to read the Gospel. It is very important, when starting a business, to know as well as possible how to do this task. I will first point out how to read it, if possible, alone, on your own, and then try to point out a way to discuss and study the gospel in a group. Of course, I will also take into account the fact that many people do not have the Gospel in their hands, and therefore, before giving any comment, I will read the corresponding passage from the Gospel.

The first condition for deriving real benefit from the consistent reading of the Gospel is, of course, an honest attitude to the matter; that is, it must be approached with the same honesty and conscientiousness with which a person begins to study any science; without preconceived views, trying to understand what is being said, what is being said here, and only then respond to what has been heard or read. Therefore, it is necessary to begin reading the Gospel impartially, with the sole desire to discover the truth, to understand what is said there. And secondly, to treat this occupation as seriously and conscientiously as any scientific work should be treated.

Reading the Gospel in this way, with honesty, with openness, without preconceived views, we inevitably stumble upon various passages that resonate differently in our souls. Some passages remain incomprehensible, alien — we can take note of them and pass them by, read on, waiting for the moment when we grow up to understand them better. Other places can cause a refusal: "I do not agree with this, I cannot accept this"... We must take this into account: it means that the Gospel and I are not consonant in some respect. And finally, there will be places that I can respond to with all my heart, with all my soul, that will stir my whole being, places that seem to me so beautiful, so significant, about which I want to say: "God, how good it is.." Know that such a place says that you and God are of one accord, that by reading this passage, you have read into the depths of God, you know God as He is, you know what His thoughts are, what His feelings are, what His attitude is. But at the same time, you discovered some depth in yourself that you had no idea about. This is the depth in which we and God are at the same time3, we understand each other, we love each other, we are in tune with each other. At the same time, we have discovered ourselves in a new way, and we are beginning to know and understand God. This is the first condition for reading the Gospel: the readiness to respond honestly, openly, without fear to anything that comes to our consciousness, that will ignite our soul with joy, delight, and will prompt us not only to contemplate beauty, but to realize what we have discovered in ourselves, in God through the Gospel.