Peter Kreeft on St. Mark's Gospel

A little late here on the Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, but still worth sharing:

The distinctive word in Mark is "immediately", or "at once". It occurs forty-two times. Jesus obeys His Father's will "at once". He responds to human needs "at once". The power of His love flashed out suddenly, like sunlight. (It was Sonlight.) It was "love in action", not "love in dreams" (to quote Dorothy Day's favorite line, from Dostoyevsky.) If we could learn just this one lesson, we would go very far toward deep personal sanctity and power to revolutionize our world. Mary did it by responding at once, "Be it done!" (Lk 1:38). Mark does not comment on the events he describes, or interpret their deeper meanings, as John does in his Gospel. He simply gives the facts, the fast-moving events of Christ's life and death. Mark is data.

From Peter Kreeft's You Can Understand The Bible: A Practical and Illuminating Guide to Each Book in The Bible (Ignatius Press, 2005), pp. 190-91.

• How To Read The Bible | Peter Kreeft | An Excerpt from You Can Understand The Bible

Comments

[M. L. Hearing]

I really like Kreeft's writing--he writes kind of like a Chester-Lewis. I have given away several copies of his Fundamentals of the Faith to acqaintances interested in Catholicism. But I don't see this book listed in the Ignatius catalogue anymore. Is it still available?

M. L. Hearing

[M. L. Hearing]

I really like Kreeft's writing--he writes kind of like a Chester-Lewis. I have given away copies (with some good results) of his Fundamentals of the Faith to acquaintances interested in Catholicism. But I don't see this book listed in the Ignatius catalogue anymore. It it still available?

M. L. Hearing