Prayer and reading guides · English
Seven Days in Mark: A Gospel Reading Adventure
One chapter a day, seven days, and a front-row seat to the fast-moving Gospel of Mark. Each day gives you a question to chew on and a tiny action to try.
This is a personal reading worksheet, not the official daily readings of the Coptic Church. It covers Mark 1 to 7, not the whole Gospel. Use it next to your usual prayer rule and the guidance you get from your parish.
Before you start
Pick a Bible translation you enjoy reading and a spot where you can focus. You can use a printed Bible or open the Bible in Doxali.
A notebook helps: write the chapter, one thing you noticed and one question. You do not need to write a commentary, and you do not need to keep anyone else's pace.
The prompts below are just reading questions. Check what you notice against the chapter itself, and ask for help when a passage is hard.
Day 1: Mark 1, Follow the movement
Read Mark 1. Notice where Jesus goes and who He meets. This Gospel moves fast!
Reflection question: Which scene would you like to read again, and what pulled you in?
Small action: Write down the verse reference for that scene and go back to the text instead of trusting your first impression.
Day 2: Mark 2, Watch the reactions
Read Mark 2. See how people respond to Jesus, and keep their reactions separate from your own assumptions about them.
Reflection question: Whose reaction surprised you, and what in the text helps you understand it?
Small action: Write one question to bring to your priest or Bible-study group.
Day 3: Mark 3, Who is around Him?
Read Mark 3. Look at the different people and groups, including the ones who gather close to Jesus.
Reflection question: What does this chapter say about being with Jesus and answering Him?
Small action: Pick one paragraph and read it twice, keeping the scene around it in mind.
Day 4: Mark 4, Listen to the stories
Read Mark 4. Give the parables time to sink in, and notice the scene on the water that follows.
Reflection question: Which picture or question from the chapter stayed with you afterward?
Small action: Say that picture in your own words, and keep your idea open to correction as you learn more.
Day 5: Mark 5, One encounter at a time
Read Mark 5. Notice how the story moves between people in very different situations.
Reflection question: What do you learn by reading each meeting carefully instead of boiling the chapter down to a slogan?
Small action: Write down a detail you would have missed if you had only read a summary.
Day 6: Mark 6, Need and service
Read Mark 6. Look at the work of the disciples, the needs of the crowd and how people respond.
Reflection question: Which part raises a question about service, trust or understanding for you?
Small action: Bring that question into prayer, then talk about it with a reliable teacher when you can.
Day 7: Mark 7, See the whole scene
Read Mark 7. Pay close attention to who is speaking, what question is being answered and what happens next.
Reflection question: How does reading the lines around a sentence help you understand something that sounds puzzling on its own?
Small action: Look back at this week's notes and choose one question to study further, instead of trying to solve everything at once.
Missed a day?
No panic. Just pick up at the next unread chapter. The numbered days are there to help, not to test you. If your reading time keeps falling apart, move it to a better time instead of giving up.
What comes after day seven?
You have started Mark, and there is plenty of Gospel ahead. Keep going with chapter 8, revisit a passage with your Bible-study group, or ask your priest about a reading plan that suits you.
Doxali also has reading plans for different seasons. Choose the one that fits what you want to read, and keep personal study separate from the Church's appointed liturgical readings.
The text for this worksheet is the Gospel of Mark, chapters 1 to 7. Use your own Bible for the full passages, since no translation is reproduced here.