Ponder Contemplative Bible Study for Year B

Ponder is the perfect companion to the Sunday readings. Providing just enough background and commentary, Leonard-Fleckman spurs readers' imaginations and leads them to their own encounter with Scripture. The book's origin in parish Bible study shines through its pages. Reading it is like joining a thoughtful study group led by a gifted scholar and teacher who wants to bring you closer to the Word of God and its authors, both human and divine.

Pope Francis has designated the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time each year as “Word of God Sunday,” reminding Catholics of the centrality of scripture in our tradition and inviting deeper study of our sacred texts. Mahri Leonard-Fleckman’s Ponder will be an invaluable tool in helping to realize Francis’ vision. Using a simple, accessible format, Leonard-Fleckman empowers even those who have never studied the Bible to enter into the Sunday readings in a meaningful, potentially life-changing way.

Ponder has a creative way of inviting participants into an experience of the Word of God and its spiritual power. Mahri Leonard-Fleckman is a solid and trustworthy guide in this spiritual journey, bringing to bear the fruits of Catholic biblical scholarship as a support for the insights of the participants. Highly recommended.

Seldom is there a book that joins scholarship with practice—Mahri Leonard-Fleckman’s scholarship is in service of prayer. Ponder is for those of us who do lectio of the lectionary with like-minded practitioners. There are other resources, but I’ve not seen anything better than this book. It is sheer gift.

Finding new, intriguing resources for pondering the Sunday lectionary readings each year can be a challenge. This book, aptly named, fits the bill for Year B. The author, an expert lay biblical scholar with pastoral sensitivity and experience, offers pithy, concise, and fresh observations of the Sunday readings guaranteed to foster good reflection, whether in group or individual settings. A novel dimension is the combination of lectio divina and the Ignatian use of imagination from the Jesuit tradition. With this book, Liturgical Press continues its excellent track record of offering resources for the liturgical year that are at once reliable and innovative.

Mahri Leonard-Fleckman's contemplative Bible study is a gift to the church. Grounded in her professional studies and—even more importantly—her experience of leading a parish Bible study, this volume invites the study of texts as most people experience them: as proclaimed in the church's liturgy. I appreciated, in particular, insights she offers on texts from the Old Testament. The “Ponder” sections contain much fruit for prayerful appropriation and, I dare add, homiletic possibilities.

Born of her experience leading a Bible study group in an urban Northeast parish, Mahri Leonard-Fleckman has crafted an ideal resource for groups and individuals seeking to study and pray with the lectionary readings. Her concise and forthright biblical commentary and ‘Ponder’ sections suggesting possible themes, connections, and questions for reflection will undoubtedly inspire readers to delve further into their relationships with our loving God and our neighbors near and far.