“Do not venture to understand the teaching of the mysteries and dogmas of Holy Scripture by means of simple reading, without first praying and seeking God’s help, saying: ‘O Lord, grant me the ability to understand the spiritual power contained herein.’ Always keep in mind that prayer before reading is the key to the true concepts sheltered in the letter of Divine Scriptures.” 

     – St. Isaac the Syrian

Our sincere thanks to Mahri Leonard-Fleckman and Amy Ekeh for sharing their time, wisdom, and experience of contemplative Scripture study and the prayer life with us on February 28. Mahri and Amy discussed Ponder, their award-winning series of Bible study guides from Little Rock Scripture Study and Liturgical Press. Along the way, we looked at the relationship between the mind and the heart in sacred reading, the role of practices such as lectio divina and Ignatian contemplation, and what Catholics can learn from other traditions in their engagement with the Scriptures. We’re pleased to present a recording of the presentation below, along with links to items of interest.

Information about Ponder from Little Rock Scripture Study/Liturgical Press

Little Rock Catholic Study Bible

The New Oxford Annotated Bible

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). She has years of experience as a lectionary-based Bible study facilitator at her home parish in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Amy Ekeh currently serves on the faculty of the New England Catholic Biblical School and is an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. She is the director of Little Rock Scripture Study, a series of Bible study resources published by Liturgical Press. Her work can be found in a variety of Catholic publications, including St. Anthony Messenger, The Bible Today, and Give Us This Day, and she has published three volumes in Little Rock Scripture Study’s Alive in the Word series. 

Image: Detail from Edmund Körner, In der Klosterbibliothek, c. 1910.