The initial page of Mark’s Gospel from the 8th Century Lindisfarne Gospels
Gospel from beginning to end!
During Lent we’re encouraging people to read Mark’s Gospel through in one sitting. Some do this on Maundy Thursday evening. It is particularly appropriate to do this in this year when a priority is given to readings from mark’s Gospel at Sunday Mass.
At St Chrysostom’s a special occasion on the First Sunday of Lent brought the whole Gospel to us in one reading. Paul Pritchard, who organised the reading, writes:
““The Gospel of The Lord – Praise to you O Christ”, the familiar Gospel acclamation we hear and the response we make every Sunday morning at the Mass. Well on the evening of Sunday 18th February we had a wonderful experience of getting closer to the Gospel according to St Mark when 27 different people participated in a public reading of the Gospel from beginning to end. Amazingly there were 11 different nationalities among our number and an age range spanning over 60 years which brought such richness to the reading.
Some of our readers
Everyone involved entered into the spirit of the evening and read so well which resulted in things running so smoothly and afforded us to opportunity to really enter into the story of Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection and glorious ascension. Central to our faith is love and we heard in chapter 12 “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” read so beautifully by Val; the support, encouragement and camaraderie shown by all involved was a wonderful example of neighbourly love which is so central to St C’s.
As I drove home from Church that evening reflecting on the experience, I felt it was so enriching and fundamentally an offering of praise to our Lord Jesus. Thank you to everyone for sharing this experience with me.”
And comments from two people present:
“It was a rich variety of voices which caused me to think again at many familiar phrases. By the time we were at the Passion I was sad that we were nearing the end.”
“I thought the variety of voices helped the story come alive and gave emphases I wasn’t expecting.”
Thank you to Paul for arranging such a special evening.
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