Gospel of Mark

• Here is the semester plan; please read the scheduled portion in advance of each meeting.
• I also recommend reading the whole Gospel of Mark from beginning to end at some point. It only takes about 1 hour to read the whole gospel.
• Although some minimal preparation is ideal, don't worry if don't have much time outside the meeting in a given week, or if you have to miss a meeting. It's okay! Come when you can, and do what preparation you can. Don't let holy scripture stress you out!
• Our primary objective is prayer. We seek to encounter Jesus, the Word of God, and to invite him to "dwell in us richly" (cf. Colossians 3:16). However, this objective will not preclude our consideration of questions of historical/cultural context, textual criticism, translation, doctrine, etc.

• All that is required is a bible. Any Catholic bible is good, such as the revised New American Bible available on the USCCB website. A bible that has footnotes and commentary (such as the NAB) is helpful.
• I recommend reading this short introduction to the Gospel of Mark.
• The basic format of our meetings will be a group experience of lectio divina ("sacred reading"), interspersed with discussion.
  • short overview of lectio divina from the USCCB

Additional Resources

• I will be using the following resources:
  • Navarre Study Bible, which includes the Revised Standard Version, the New (Latin) Vulgate, and extensive commentaries from the theological faculty of the University of Navarre
  • An interlinear Greek New Testament, such as this one
  • Catholic theologian Mary Healy's Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Highly recommended! Page references to this commentary are provided in the study plan.
• We do not all have to be using all the same resources. In fact, it would be productive if some of us are using different resources, from which we could then share different insights.
• Additional lectio divina resources to support your individual prayer/preparation:
  • Tomaine, Jane. “The Prayer of Lectio Divina,” St. Benedict’s Toolbox:The Nuts and Bolts of Benedictine Living (New York: Morehouse), 41-56. Highly recommended!
  • Introduction to Lectio Divina from Conception Abbey, Missouri
  • Templates from St. Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California
• Some of you may find the following doctrinal documents interesting:
  • Verbum Dei ["The Word of God"] (1965), Vatican II Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
  • Divino afflante Spiritu ["Inspired by the Holy Spirit"] (1943), Pope Pius XII's encyclical letter on Biblical Studies
  • Providentissimus Deus ["The God of all Providence"] (1893), Pope Leo XIII's encyclical letter on Biblical Studies
  • These documents give an overview of the Church's doctrine and traditions concerning the study and interpretation of sacred scripture. There have been massive developments in the 20th-century. If you delve into these documents, I suggest reading the more recent ones first.