St Mark's Gospel Reflections

Liturgical Year B:  Mark readings. An Introduction by Fr Dries van den Akker SJ.


Last year was called ‘The Year of the Word’. The Sunday readings were taken from the Gospel of Matthew. Artist Peter Clare had made a series of almost 200 paintings following Matthew’s Gospel pericope after pericope. That was a nice opportunity to combine The Year of the Word with his paintings.

This year we continue our meditations about the Sunday readings, now most of the time taken from the Gospel of Mark.

Actually, 30 years ago Peter Clare made a painting containing the whole Gospel of Mark: a sort of labyrinth (below).

It is composed as a monstrance or as a Celtic cross. In the centre we see the scene of Jesus’ resurrection; above that Jesus’ transfiguration and at the bottom his baptism. The scenes are separated by a golden line. Beginning with Jesus’ baptism (1:1-11) we have to look where the golden line is interrupted to find out the way to the next scene: Jesus in the desert (1:12) tempted by the devil (1:13). Climbing higher we see how John the Baptist is arrested (1:14) and how Jesus takes his place to preach the Gospel (1:15). And so on. It is already a meditation to take time and to discover how the different scenes are represented and placed one after another.



Every Sunday the Gospel reading is taken from Mark we will cut out of the big painting the little piece that illustrates the Mark story. Besides that we will present another picture which illustrates the same story plus a meditation about it.

In liturgical Year B some Sundays the readings are taken from other Gospels, especially Saint John’s. In that case we cannot ‘quote’ the Mark painting. We will choose any picture for our meditation.


Fr Dries is a member of the formation team of the International Novitiate.

He taught RE for many years in the beautiful city of Delft.

He is an expert on the Saints land on the history of Western Christian Art and he is a fine bible scholar who has just completed a new commentary on Mark’s Gospel.

A Whistlestop Tour of Mark by David McLoughlin

Picture Meditation: Sunday 7 March

John 2,13-25 02:13   When the time of the Jewish Passover was near Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 02:14   and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 21 February

Mark 1:12-15 'And at once the Spirit drove him into the desert and he remained there for forty days, and was put to the test by Satan'. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 14 February

Mark 1:40-45 'A man suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to him and pleaded on his knees saying, 'If you are willing, you can cleanse me'.' Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 7 February

Mark 1:29-39 'And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils'. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 31 January

Mark 1:21-28 'And his reputation at once spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside'. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 24 January

Mark 1:14-20. Jesus said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you into fishers of people.' Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 17 January

John 1:35-42 What might John have meant with the title ‘lamb of God’? Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 10 January

'You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you' Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 3 January

In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 27 December

Sunday after Christmas: Holy Family Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 20 December

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 13 December

A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 6 December

The story of Jesus begins with John the Baptist Read more

Picture Meditation: Sunday 29 November

First Sunday of Advent, Mark 13,33-37 Read more