Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study accompanies all hearers and preachers of the Word as they pray with and ponder the Sunday readings throughout the liturgical year. Everything needed for a rich experience of lectio divina and biblical exploration is provided: the full text of the Sunday readings, concise commentary, engaging reflections, and clear guidance on how to use this resource alone or with a group. This volume guides readers through the Year A lectionary.
Mahri Leonard-Fleckman is assistant professor of Hebrew Bible in the Religious Studies Department at the College of the Holy Cross. She is a contributor to Give Us This Day, the co-author of Ruth in the Wisdom Commentary Series, and the author of The House of David: Between Political Formation and Literary Revision (Fortress Press). Leonard-Fleckman has years of experience as a lectionary-based Bible study facilitator at her home parish in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Reviews
"A marvelous way to enter into the Sunday readings. Often we may focus only on what a preacher or a Bible commentary has to say about these readings. Both are important of course. But just as important is what our prayer tells us. The Bible is the Living Word, through which the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work. Ponder will help both groups and individuals encounter God more deeply and more fully through the riches of Scripture."
James Martin, SJ, author of Learning to Pray
"Ponder successfully embraces both rigorous scholarship and practical suggestions for personal spiritual growth. Our faith-sharing group has found its format to be adaptable to our needs while also opening us up to the rich experience of lectio divina and contemplative silence."
Jan Fournier, St. Thomas More Small Church Community at Yale University
"Ponder is both practical and profound. Mahri Leonard-Fleckman has created a resource that leads individuals and groups in praying with Scripture. With a mix of commentary and 'ponder' sections, Leonard-Fleckman shows attentiveness to biblical scholarship and faith-based biblical study, inspiring readers to pray with and contemplate Scripture throughout the liturgical year."
Jaime L. Waters, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
"In Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study for Year A, Mahri Leonard-Fleckman draws on Ignatian spirituality and Lectio Divina to create an engaging model for the study of the Sunday readings, attending to the important details of the passages and encouraging personal engagement with Scripture."
Laurie Brink, OP, Professor of New Testament Studies and Director of the Certificate in Biblical Spirituality, Catholic Theological Union
"Ponder is an ideal Bible study companion, one that informs without intimidating and inspires reflection without imposing any interpretation or agenda. An excellent guide to praying with the Sunday Scriptures deeply and receptively throughout the year."
Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Editor-at-Large, Commonweal magazine
"Strongly rooted in Lectio Divina and Ignatian Contemplation, Ponder opens readers to the best of contemporary biblical scholarship and some of the best Christian meditative practices for a deeper reading of Sacred Scripture. Leonard-Fleckman’s attention to the text’s key words offers her audience profound insights into the readings, and her highlighting of both Catholic and Jewish tradition brings today’s readers into dialogue with the richness of the past. I highly recommend this most fruitful tool for a richer reading of God’s Word."
Garrett Galvin, OFM, President and Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Franciscan School of Theology
"Mahri Leonard-Fleckman has written a beautiful resource for those seeking contemplative, lectionary-based spirituality grounded in excellent biblical scholarship. Each unit includes the lectionary texts, along with brief commentary setting the material within its historical and literary context, followed by a guided opportunity for reflection, all within a Catholic context. I recommend this book to parish Bible studies as well as to individuals seeking quality spiritual approaches to Scripture."
Corrine Carvalho, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
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