Recommended Resources for Scripture Study and Reflection

LOTS of books here! Don't be intimidated! It's just a list with some explanation of each title. All good material for coming to a better understanding of the Bible.

I'll start with the NON-book resources for the auditory learners:

The Bible in a Year podcast is one way to go. Father Mike Schmitz does talk at an incredibly fast pace, so if you are using this in prayer, I suggest slowing the play speed down. The Ascension Press media player allows you to do that (the first speed option, 1x, is normal speed; click that and select 0.8 to slow the playback down ever so slightly).

The Daily Mass Readings calendar from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an audio function, but you have to click into the calendar day to find it. Click on the day, and then select "Listen Podcast" to hear the day's Mass readings and Responsorial Psalm.

Now for the BOOKS!!!

If you are looking for a solid but approachable companion to the Bible, I can wholeheartedly recommend A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre. Although the authors are top-level Scripture scholars, they write for "real" readers. Notes include recent findings from archaeology and ancient manuscripts, and how each book of the Bible has been understood by the Church Fathers and used in Liturgy. (I can't wait until their volume on the New Testament is ready!)

Also by John Bergsma, commentary on the Sunday readings: The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A
The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year B The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year C The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Mass Readings for Solemnities and Feasts

Anglican priest and Scripture scholar Esau McCaulley delves into key passages of Paul's letters (among dozens of other biblical books) that were historically twisted to uphold the institution of slavery and racial injustice in the United States. His book, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, is especially addressed to Black readers, but I found it extremely relevant to the questions American society is facing. McCaulley looks at several key areas in which the Scriptures have been kept from speaking fully to the American situation: prison reform, politics, justice, protest. He brings his broad knowledge of the Word of God to bear on the issues. (I have dozens of paragraphs marked for further reflection.) His reflection on slavery (and on the applications of Deuteronomy 23) is amazing.

Dr John Bergsma's Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood demonstrates how many of the Old Testament prefigurings and institutions were fulfilled (super-abundantly!) in Jesus and in the Church. This is especially clear in the Gospel of John, which in a way is the most "priestly" of the four Gospels. If you have questions about the priesthood in the Church, or about the difference between our baptismal participation in the priesthood of Christ and that exercised by our ministerial priests, or even simple questions like why Catholics call priests "Father" (when Jesus said, "Call no one on earth 'father'"), or if you would like to see in a fuller way how very many Old Testament types were pointing to Jesus and to the Church, this very readable book is for you.

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary: Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah, by Louisiana native Dr. Brant Pitre, presents the Mother of Jesus in the light of the Old Testament "types" (prefigurings that were historically real, but also prophetic symbols). This is especially important as we read the Gospel of John. Dr Pitre is an engaging author; I made great use of the Catholic Introduction to the Bible (Old Testament) that he and Dr Bergsma co-authored.

Dr Edward Sri's companion to the Gospel of Matthew is a good study guide: it even has reflection questions and space for you to write your answers! Mystery of the Kingdom: On the Gospel of Matthew (Kingdom Studies)

Do you get tripped up by the parables? We can go far astray in grasping Jesus' point if we interpret his parables from the individualistic standpoint of the 21st century. As we read some of the most beloved parables of Luke, you might find this double volume extremely enlightening, as I did. The author of Poet & Peasant lived and taught in the Middle East for decades, and brings his intimate awareness of traditional cultural expectations to bear specifically on the parables of Luke. Granted, the degree of literary analysis is meant for doctoral students, the cultural parts are very graspable. Please note that the author is not Catholic, so sometimes his comments reflect an approach to the Bible or Church life that is disconnected from the continuous tradition we know in the Catholic and also Orthodox Churches.

Dr. John Bergsma's fascinating presentation,Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity, gives the ordinary reader a sense of the many points of contact between the Gospels and the culture, spirituality, writings, and expectations of the Essenes. In many ways living a kind of porto-monasticism, the Essene communities sought to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of David through fidelity to the "works of the Law" (sound familiar?) in rigorous cultic purity. Their leadership seems to have descended from the Aaronic high priesthood, and their founder was clearly a prophetic soul imbued with the Holy Spirit. Many practices and expressions that we find in the Gospels and the letters of St Paul are found nowhere else in extant literature than in the Dead Sea Scrolls, making them amazingly valuable in authenticating, from a purely historical perspective, some of the very details that had been deprecated by "historical criticism" as invented or anachronistic.

Are you intimidated by St. Paul? N.T. Wright's Paul: A Biography is the book I would recommend to someone who wanted to read one (only one) book that combined the life and letters of St Paul. Written by a noted Scripture, this is a flowing narrative that is scripturally enlightening and historically sound. Wright gives the reader a way of following Paul through the Acts of the Apostles and the writing of his letters, making Paul the person that much more approachable, and the letters themselves more readable as a result of having a social and historical context.

The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Dr. Brant Pitre is a book of apologetics: not apologizing for the faith, but defending and explaining things that can be easily misunderstood. In this case, Pitre presents the person and ministry of Jesus in the light of Scripture and history in a readable, convincing way.

I don't have a lot of resources specific to Acts, but if you would like to go further into this unique book of the Bible, the two-volume set (Witnesses of the Messiah for Acts 1-15, and Envoy of the Messiah for Acts 16-18) by Stephen Pimentel seems to fit the bill. The sections include study questions for groups, too!

Years ago I attended a lecture series by Dr James Papandrea on the Book of Revelation and found it very helpful. His book, The Wedding of the Lamb: A Historical Approach to the Book of Revelation, is kind of expensive, but there is a Kindle version in case you are looking for a companion to Revelation by a Catholic theologian.

Essential Resources for Theology of the Body

As the Original Theology of the Body Fangirl, I pay attention to material that purports to present or promote Pope John Paul's thought. This is not a list everything worthwhile on the topic, but of the resources I consider most essential for getting into the heart of the matter. There are tons of other resources available, but these are the foundational ones.

For starters, you might consider Discover Theology of the Body, the 10-part video lecture series by Franciscan Father Robert Sprott for a live-streamed event we did in Chicago back in 2013 (before "live-streaming" was even a thing). It is behind a modest paywall, but there is a free discussion guide (by yours truly), so it can be used by parish groups or organizations.

The essential books are:

Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, translated by Dr. Michael Waldstein: a critical edition of the Pope's series of biblical reflections. The introductions alone are valuable, content-wise. 

The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, Anniversary Edition, by Pope John Paul II with commentary and discussion questions by John and Claire Grabowski. This is a "Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation," a kind of papal document that sums up in an authoritative way the results of a Synod. In this case, it was the 1980 Synod of Bishops, which met to discuss "The Christian Family." Pope John Paul timed the start of his Theology of the Body talks to coincide with the opening work of the Synod. As you might imagine, there are many convergences between the two.

Love and Responsibility, by Karol Wojtyla (written while the future Pope was still basically a campus minister, doing marriage prep in his own inimitable way; as he wrote them, the chapters would be discussed by the students with a view to editorial fine-tuning). This is the philosophical-ethical study of human love.

Understanding Love and Responsibility, by Richard A. Spinello: because not too many of us are up to reading a philosophical treatment of human love, even one that is so spot-on in terms of its personalist approach.

The Human Person According to John Paul II, by J. Brian Bransfield: an introduction to Theology of the Body.

Humanae Vitae, 50th Anniversary Edition, by Pope Paul VI: an annotated edition of the landmark encyclical that dealt with contraception. Karol Wojtla was a member of Pope Paul VI's expanded "birth control commission," though he could not get a his passport approved from Communist Poland to attend commission meetings. The crowning sessions of the Theology of the Body talks are an application of the Scriptural principles to issues raised in Humanae Vitae.

NOT Theology of the Body, but a kind of catechism in the light of Theology of the Body: The One Thing Is Three: How the Most Holy Trinity Explains Everything, by Father Michael Gaitley. I highly recommend this presentation of the faith which draws inspiration from Theology of the Body and the Divine Mercy devotion. 

Sharing the news about the Nine First Fridays

Two weeks ago we were running a weekend book fair at a local parish. One of the parish priests recommended my book from the pulpit, urging people to make the "Seven Fridays." (More than a few voices from the pews shouted out the correct number!). Then yesterday, waiting for Church to open for confession, a woman walked by, looked at me and asked, "Are you the sister who wrote the book about the Nine Fridays?" I nodded, and she said, "I just love it!" (So glad! And she got the number right, too!)

Nine First Fridays is quite a challenge, as you know if you have tried to make them. But so worth the effort. And for this First Friday of October, there's now a poster you can download, print or share online to help others learn about (and make) the Nine First Fridays! Ask your parish if a poster can be put on the parish bulletin board, and included in the parish bulletin.

The QR code links to the Pauline webstore, where hardcover copies of the book can be ordered. We are waiting for the reprint stock to arrive, so orders will go out as soon as we ourselves get the books!