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The aim of this day is to supply a resource for spiritual directors and others who listen to people in a pastoral capacity, by offering a way into the oldest (and shortest!) gospel.
What we do together should help you to reflect on how you facilitate a “listening space” through the use of scripture in prayer. It will also, of course, provide an opportunity to reflect on your own faith-journey as you accompany your directees. How might you, for example, help someone pray on the “strangeness” of this gospel?
Why would you want to delve into Mark’s gospel? Well, for one thing, Mark invented the gospel-form. So, as far as we know, this is the first attempt made by Christians to put on paper the essential elements of their gospel, and it is fascinating to watch those earliest followers of Jesus as they found their way through this age of transition; and people who in our day find themselves struggling with transition like to watch the same process going on in the composition of the gospel, and come to a personal engagement with it.
A question underlying our day might be this: how does Mark’s gospel shed light on my journey? How does it offer “glimmers of light” on the journey?
There will be four times of input, followed by small group sharing:
- Mark – the Strangest Gospel (Text: Mark 1:1-13)
- “An Englishman, and Irishman and a Scotsman”. All the best stories come in threes…
3 Passion Predictions (Mark 8:31-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34)
3 moments of prayer (14:32-42)
3 accusations and their rebuttal (14:66-72)
- Mark’s Passion story: glimmers of light in the all-encompassing darkness? (Text: Mark 15:20b-41)
- A very strange ending (Text: Mark 16:1-8)
Manresa study days aim to resource those giving spiritual accompaniment and to provide an opportunity to meet others involved in a similar ministry. They comprise of 4 themes which are introduced by the speaker with opportunity for small group sharing and plenary discussion.
Nicholas King is a Jesuit priest who is currently on the staff of Farm Street Church in London. For all his time as a Jesuit, he has been teaching at the secondary and tertiary levels, most recently at Oxford University, Boston College, St Mary’s Twickenham and Heythrop College, London University. He has also published a translation of the entire Bible (published by Kevin Mayhew in 2013).
