Dei Verbum
The life of Jesus, specially his works, show us a perfect example that we should all follow in our daily lives. The same doctrine that Jesus preached to his Apostles of love and obedience to God, he also teaches to us. The apostolic origin of the Gospel confirms both it’s divine inspiration and the existence of Jesus. His influence as the founder of the Church and as the Son of God also give meaning to His doctrine. It is something completely different from the Law of Moses, because instead of strict rules it gives us the freedom to choose if whether or not to follow His example and teaching in order to receive the promise of eternal life.
Fundamentalism in the Bible According to the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church teaches that Fundamentalist Christianity can be dangerous, because it devalues the truth of the Bible and it takes away our right and blessing of thought. The Fundamentalists believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. This is the problem, because the practice of exegesis helps us to find the context of the text historically, culturally, and scientifically. But the Fundamentalists don’t study the context but only the text exactly as it’s written, and this way any passage can be manipulated to confirm their ideas and doctrines. The depreciate the scriptures by not taking in count it’s symbolism and figurative language. Fundamentalism also takes away the possibility to grow and develop in our faith through the Word.
The Addressees of the Gospel of Mark
The Gospel according to Mark was written in Rome and directed to the primitive Christians who were persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero. Christianity went against the customs and traditions of the Romans and that’s why they didn’t allow the Christians to practice their faith. It was Mark’s purpose to reaffirm the faith in this community. The early Christians suffered greatly and the story of Jesus according to Mark lifted them up out of their misery and gave them hope and faith that good would triumph over evil, which in this case was the Roman Empire. We find an example of this in Mark 1, 21-28 where Jesus drives out an evil spirit and teaches the Jews a new doctrine with authority.
The Power of Jesus According to Mark
Mark teaches us that prayer was the key to Jesus’ power (Mark 1, 35-39). Jesus wasn’t all-powerful by His own accord, but because he prayed for God to give him strength. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14, 32-42) shows us an example of His begging prayer and His faith in God. Even though he begged God to not make him suffer through His painful passion, He realizes that He is a man and that He will do what God asks. The people admired Jesus as their savior that had come to destroy evil. Mark is also full of healings including the possessed, the paralyzed, the lepers, the outsider, the deaf, the blind, and the epileptic. These healings give meaning to the idea that Jesus was a divine force with the power to free the people and triumph over evil.
The Key Teachings of the Passion According to Saint Mark
The Passion according to Saint Mark touched the hearts of the people and spoke to their suffering and pain under the rule of emperor Nero. Jesus is a symbol of the suffering people, that are unjustly condemned to death like the persecuted Christians. The Eucharist is presented as the new “Covenant” between God and His people and Jesus realizes and tells his Apostles of His Passion (Mark 14, 22-25). As before mentioned, prayer is the answer to all His problems and he teaches the Christians that confiding in God they will be strengthened, as Jesus stayed strong but passive knowing that His death was near.