A Bible Study Program Using the Sunday Lectionary: Taking Your Bible Study Group to the Next Level

Bible study groups sometimes find themselves stalled in a process of sharing personal impressions while looking for more depth. Others read commentaries but long to engage the biblical text itself. Where does one begin? A Bible Study Program Using the Sunday Lectionary offers a toolkit of approaches for reading the biblical text that a variety of reading groups have already found helpful. Unlike some study methods that emphasize the individual reader this program keeps the community of worshippers in mind including the historical faith community that produced the writings and the community of worshippers now reading it. The Catholic Study Bible serves as a reference for the historical community while the schedule of Sunday Scripture readings evokes the present-day community of readers--with the bonus of enhancing readers Sunday worship experience. In one manageable piece Beck gifts the reader with the essential elements necessary for cracking open Scripture. He lifts the lid for the reader to peer into Scripture from the vantage point of its culture literary forms and historical setting. He removes obstacles that often prevent readers from gaining greater insight and fresh ideas applicable to our lives. Beck provides a valuable resource of biblical scholarship for personal growth or for leading a parish Bible study or prayer group. --Mary Pedersen Director Adult Faith Formation Archdiocese of Dubuque Dubuque IA Robert R. Beck (DMin Catholic University of America) is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque IA and Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Loras College in Dubuque. His publications include Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark (1996) and Banished Messiah: Violence and Nonviolence in Matthews Story of Jesus (2010). He also publishes a column Sundays Word on the Sunday lectionary in the Dubuque Archdiocesan newspaper The Witness. Beck is currently in his thirteenth year as chaplain at the Franciscan Motherhouse in Dubuque.