Mark was a proclaimer calling people to repentance. At a time nearly everyone felt was the end of the world, he boldly told the story of the beginning. When so many were overwhelmed by what seemed to be bad news, Mark proclaimed the story of the good news in his Gospel. Using rhetorical and literary analysis, Father LaVerdiere introduces Mark's story in The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark. To aid those who prepare homilies, he shares Mark's sense of Christ's mission, the Christian calling, the universal Church, and the Church's mission in a language that everyone can understand. Who was Mark? Where and when did he write, and for whom? What were his sources? What was his guiding intention? Instead of dealing with these introductory questions separately, Father LaVerdiere answers them while commenting on the Gospel. He explains that for Mark the gospel was not a mere record of past events, but a new act of proclamation. In content, Mark's Gospel was a story of the gospel of Jesus and his disciples. In form, however, Mark's Gospel was an act of proclamation. It made Jesus, the one who was crucified but had been raised from the dead, present to Mark's readers and listeners. Through Mark's Gospel, the gospel proclaimed by Jesus and the Church became the gospel that was Jesus. In Volume 1 Father LaVerdiere discusses the title, the prologue, and part one: "Jesus and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God." Within these chapters he deals with questions raised about the identity and mission of Jesus and examines Mark's emphases on the mystery of the gospel (of the person of Jesus and the Kingdom of God). Father LaVerdiere also discusses the major symbols of the first part of Mark's Gospel: the sea (he thalassa) and the bread (ho artos). The first part of the Gospel of Mark ends: "Do you still not understand?"; Reflecting on that question, Father LaVerdiere recalls the title Mark gave to his Gospel: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [Son of God]." Throughout this commentary he keeps Mark's title in mind. After each event, he repeats the title. Taking Jesus' final question to heart, Father LaVerdiere asks, "Do we still not understand?" Chapters in Volume 1 are "Title and Preface (Mark 1:1)" "Prologue: the Gospel in Miniature (Mark 1:2-13)" "Part One: Jesus and the Mystery of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-8:21)" "Section I: Jesus and the First Disciples (Mark 1:14-3:6)" "Section II: Jesus and the Twelve (Mark 3:7- 6:6a)" and "Section III: Jesus and the Mission of the Twelve (Mark 6:6b-:21)." Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS, PhD, is Adjunct Professor of New Testament studies at the Catholic Theological Union and the senior editor of Emmanuel magazine. He is the author and editor of numerous books including The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church, A Church for All Peoples, and Luke (New Testament Message series) published by The Liturgical Press.

Mark was a proclaimer calling people to repentance. At a time nearly everyone felt was the end of the world, he boldly told the story of the beginning. When so many were overwhelmed by what seemed to be bad news, Mark proclaimed the story of the good news in his Gospel. Using rhetorical and literary analysis, Father LaVerdiere introduces Mark's story in The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark. To aid those who prepare homilies, he shares Mark's sense of Christ's mission, the Christian calling, the universal Church, and the Church's mission in a language that everyone can understand. Who was Mark? Where and when did he write, and for whom? What were his sources? What was his guiding intention? Instead of dealing with these introductory questions separately, Father LaVerdiere answers them while commenting on the Gospel. He explains that for Mark the gospel was not a mere record of past events, but a new act of proclamation. In content, Mark's Gospel was a story of the gospel of Jesus and his disciples. In form, however, Mark's Gospel was an act of proclamation. It made Jesus, the one who was crucified but had been raised from the dead, present to Mark's readers and listeners. Through Mark's Gospel, the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus and the Church became the Gospel that was Jesus. In Volume 2 Father LaVerdiere continues his discussion of Mark's Gospel by focusing on part two: Jesus and the Coming of the Kingdom of God." Within these chapters he deals with the answers to questions that were raised in part one about the identity and mission of Jesus. Father LaVerdiere examines Mark's emphases on the implications of the Gospel, the passion and resurrection of Jesus, and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Father LaVerdiere also discusses the major symbols of the second part of Mark's Gospel: the way (he hodos) and the cup (ho poterion). Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS, PhD, is adjunct professor of New Testament studies at the Catholic Theological Union and the senior editor of Emmanuel magazine. He is the author or editor of numerous books including The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church, A Church for all Peoples, and Luke (New Testament Message series) published by The Liturgical Press.

As presented in the New Testament, the Eucharist is a source of both inspiration and guidance today. In "The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Ealy Church," Father LaVerdiere examines what the New Testament tells us about the Eucharist and how the Eucharist provides an important experiential and theological resource for thegospel stories of Jesus' life, ministry, passion and resurrection, as well as for the life and development of the Church.

Father LaVerdiere illustrates how the origins of the Eucharist coincide with the origins of the Church. The development of the Eucharist reflects the development of the ealy Church, as well as its creative theological and pastoral reflection. Through the lens of the New Testament it views the beginnings of both Church and Eucharist when the risen Lord appeared to the disciples at meals soon after Jesus' passion, death and resurrection. He also looks beyond the New Testament and explores theongoing development of Eucharistic theology and practice up to the mid-second century, ending with Justin Martyr, the first to describe the Eucharist to people who had no personal experience of it.

Father LaVerdiere focuses on the Eucharist in relation to ecclesiology, Christology, and liturgy. He begins by reflecting on how Christians referred to the Eucharist before it had a name, how names for the Eucharist came to be and their importance, how the Eucharist was celebrated at the very beginning, how liturgical formulas came to be, how these formulas brought out the riches of the Eucharist, and how the Eucharist related to different pastoral situations.

The concept of triunity" the assembly, the Eucharist, and the Church guides this study. The Eucharist is the sacrament of the assembly, the sacrament of the Church's life in the world. From the very beginning, there was no separating the three, nor are there separating references to the Eucharist from the letters, gospels, or other work in which the three appear. Here, FatherLaVerdiere stresses that in order to know the Eucharist in the New Testament and the ealy Church, one has only tolook at the composition and actual life of the Church. Thus, to know the Church, one has only to look at the way it celebrates the Eucharist.

Since most of today's chalenges concerning the Eucharist are similar to those experienced by the ealy Church, "The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Ealy Church" will be of greathelp to pastors, students, catechists and those inministry, who want the celebration of the Eucharist to make a difference on the rest of Christian life in the Church.

"Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS, is the senior editor of "Emmanuel "magazine and an adjunct professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union and Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. He is author of " Fundamentalism: A Pastoral Concern, A Church for al Peoples: Missionary Issues in a World Church, " and "Luke from the New Testament Message " seriespublished by The Liturgical Press.""