Inspire music ministers to confidently and prayerfully lead your community in song with Living LiturgyTM for Music Ministers. Dynamic content and an engaging team of contributors offer music ministers the spiritual preparation they need to be effective leaders of sung prayer. The Liturgy of the Word, including the psalm, will come alive in new ways for the entire worshiping assembly. Living LiturgyTM for Music Ministers begins with the First Sunday of Advent 2023 and includes: Suggestions for the psalmist’s spiritual preparation and prayer Readings and responsorial psalm for every Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and holy days of obligation Reflection on the day’s gospel reading Catechetical connections between the readings Ministry prayers that correspond with the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Lectors editions of Living Liturgy, promoting unity among all liturgical ministers

While feminist interpretations of the Book of Revelation often focus on the book’s use of feminine archetypes—mother, bride, and prostitute, this commentary explores how gender, sexuality, and other feminist concerns permeate the book in its entirety. By calling audience members to become victors, Revelation’s author, John, commends to them an identity that flows between masculine and feminine and challenges ancient gender norms. This identity befits an audience who follow the Lamb, a genderqueer savior, wherever he goes.   In this commentary, Lynn R. Huber situates Revelation and its earliest audiences in the overlapping worlds of ancient Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and first-century Judaism. She also examines how interpreters from different generations living within other worlds have found meaning in this image-rich and meaning-full book.

Teaching and researching the Gospel of John for thirty years has led author Mary L. Coloe to an awareness of the importance of the wisdom literature to make sense of Johannine theology, language, and symbolism: in the prologue, with Nicodemus, in the Bread of Life discourse, with Mary and Lazarus, and in the culminating "Hour." She also shows how the late Second Temple theology expressed in the books of Sirach and Wisdom, considered deuterocanonical and omitted from some Bible editions, are essential intertexts. Only the book of Wisdom speaks of "the reign of God" (Wis 10:10), "eternity life" (Wis 5:15), and the ambrosia maintaining angelic life (Wis 19:21)-all concepts found in John's Gospel. While the Gospel explicitly states the Logos was enfleshed in Jesus, this is also true of Sophia. Coloe makes the case that Jesus's words and deeds embody Sophia throughoutthe narrative. At the beginning of each chapter Coloe provides text from the later wisdom books that resonate with the Gospel passage, drawing Sophia out of the shadows.

Living Liturgy™ 2024 provides practical and engaging content from expert authors to enrich your communal prayer and ministry. Trusted by parishes around the country (and world!), Living Liturgy™ offers Scripture readings, insightful reflections, robust liturgical formation, and contextual background information for Sundays, solemnities, and additional feasts of liturgical and national importance. This best-selling annual resource is ideal for parish ministers, liturgists, pastors, planning committees, adult faith formation groups, and anyone who wishes to explore the connections between liturgy and life. An entirely new resource created for each liturgical year, Living Liturgy™ gives your team the spiritual preparation they need to serve in their ministries, integrating daily living, prayer, and study in an inviting and easy-to-use format. Original art by Ruberval Monteiro da Silva, OSB, complements the text and invites further reflection on the gospel of the day. This indispensable guide deepens a liturgical spirituality and strengthens the worship experience for the whole parish. Featured Liturgical Texts Collect First Reading Responsorial Psalm Second Reading Gospel Acclamation Gospel Featured Content Reflecting on the Gospel Preparing to Proclaim Psalmist Preparation Making Connections Between the Readings Homily Points Model Penitential Act Model Universal Prayer (Prayer of the Faithful) Liturgy and Music Living Liturgy Prompts for Faith-Sharing Additional Features Calendar-dated Pronunciation guide Full text of readings in sense lines Key words and phrases that focus on the gospel

Because there are more women in the Gospel of Luke than in any other gospel, feminists have given it much attention. In this commentary, Shelly Matthews and Barbara Reid show that feminist analysis demands much more than counting the number of female characters. Feminist biblical interpretation examines how the female characters function in the narrative and also scrutinizes the workings of power with respect to empire, to anti-Judaism, and to other forms of othering. Matthews and Reid draw attention to the ambiguities of the text-both the liberative possibilities and the ways that Luke upholds the patriarchal status quo-and guide readers to empowering reading strategies.

The Gospel of Matthew carries important lessons on the formation of community and of Jesus as authoritative Teacher--lessons that helped the early Matthean population relate to both the Jewish and Christian communities of which they were composed. The Gospel According to Matthew provides Gospel text (New American Bible translation) along with Barbara E. Reid's commentary, to aid in the interpretation and use of this Gospel today. As Reid demonstrates, this Gospel continues to bring Vision and hope to Christians throughout the ages. Reid stresses the importance of the Gospel of Matthew as the first book in the New Testament, possibly the first written Gospel, and the one most often used in the early church. Providing both the text and commentary, Reid addresses important questions such as the author's identity and sources, setting and Gospel translation. Sections are The Origins of Jesus (1:1-4:11)," "The Beginnings of the Galilean Ministry (4:12-10:42)," "The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:28)," "Varying Responses to Jesus(11:1-16:12)," "Jesus and His Disciples on the Way to Jerusalem (16:14- 20:34)," "Jerusalem; Jesus' Final Days of Teaching in the Temple (21:1-28:15)," "Finale: Back to Galilee; Commission to the Whole World; Jesus' Abiding Presence (28:16-20)." Also includes discussion questions. Barbara E. Reid, OP, PhD, is professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She is the author of Parables for Preachers, Choosing the Better Part?, and co-editor of the Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology, published by Liturgical Press. She has also published various journal articles on New Testament topics. Also available with Little Rock Scripture Study Set: The Gospel According to Matthew "

The Acts of the Apostles, the earliest work of its kind to have survived from Christian antiquity, is not "history" in the modern sense, nor is it about what we call "the church." Written at least half a century after the time it describes, it is a portrait of the Movement of Jesus' followers as it developed between 30 and 70 CE. More important, it is a depiction of the Movement of what Jesus wanted: the inbreaking of the reign of God. In this commentary, Linda Maloney, Ivoni Richter Reimer, and a host of other contributing voices look at what the text does and does not say about the roles of the original members of the Movement in bringing it toward fruition, with a special focus on those marginalized by society, many of them women. The author of Acts wrote for followers of Jesus in the second century and beyond, contending against those who wanted to break from the community of Israel and offering hope against hope, like Israel's prophets before him.

Reading 1 Peter through the lens of feminist and diaspora studies keeps front and center the bodily, psychological, and social suffering experienced by those without stable support of family or homeland, whether they were economic migrants or descendants of those enslaved by Roman armies. In the new "household" of God, believers are encouraged to exhibit a moral superiority to the society that engulfs them. But adoption of "elite" values cannot erase the undertones of randomized verbal abuse, general scorn, and physical violence that women, immigrants, slaves, and freedmen faced as the "facts of life." First Peter offers the "honor" of identifying with the Crucified, "by his bruises you are healed" (2:24). A Christian liberation ethic would challenge 1 Peter's approach. Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia-Pontus in north-western Asia Minor, is a contemporary of 2 Peter's writer. The polemical, accusatory genre of 2 Peter, like Jude, originates in Roman judicial rhetoric. The pastor, in the persona of a prosecuting attorney, condemns immoral defendants, including influential women. Their "crimes" encode community tensions over women's leadership, Gentile-members' sexual ethics, their syncretistic deviations from Jewish doctrine on creation, and the certainty of divine judgment and punishment. Citations to Elizabeth Cady Stanton's A Woman's Bible enliven the commentary. The doctrinal disorder prompts the male pastor to sustain loyalists in their commitment to "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Second Peter dramatizes an ecclesial crisis whose "solution" was the eventual imposition of a magisterium to silence dissent. Brief, combative, and assuming a familiarity with a literary culture that most twenty-first-century readers do not have, the Letter of Jude would be an obvious candidate for being the most neglected book of the New Testament. As a model for a pastoral strategy, it can be recommended only with great reservations: almost everyone will find in it something problematic, if not offensive. Yet, in addition to giving a window on a Greek-speaking Jewish-Christian milieu, Jude's energetic prose testifies to the author's visceral concern for those attempting to live by the gospel in difficult circumstances. Furthermore, to the extent that over familiarity with parts of the New Testament can blunt their challenge, this letter provides a salutary reminder that the entire canon originated in a world that is radically unfamiliar to us.

Beginning with the Transfiguration of Jesus in chapter 17:1, the Gospel of Matthew continues to reveal through Jesus' teachings what it means to be a disciple. This second part of the study of Matthew reveals a growing tension as Jesus ministers around Jerusalem, is arrested, crucified and rises to new life. Revealed as Emmanuel (God with us) at the start of the Gospel, Jesus will promise his continuing presence as the disciples are commissioned at the close of the Gospel. Commentary, study and reflection questions, prayer and access to recorded lectures are included. 4 lessons.

Standing at the start of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew provides a bridge from the Jewish world awaiting a Messiah to the emerging Christian world of Jesus and his followers. This Gospel introduces us to Jesus as the Master Teacher whose words of instruction are captured in large teaching sections. Part One covers Matthew 1:1?16:28, from the birth of Jesus through much of his public teaching life, to the first prediction of his passion. Commentary, study and reflection questions, prayer and access to recorded lectures are included. 5 lessons.

The church's cycle of scriptural readings for the liturgy offers believers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the word of God. It is a very real and tangible way of responding to the call of Jesus: Remain in me, as I remain in you."

In "Abiding Word," Barbara Reid, OP, takes the Sunday experience to every day with accessible weekly meditations on the Lectionary readings of the year. This collection of articles, which includes Scripture readings for Sundays and solemnities followed by reflections, allows readers to meditate on the connection between the sacred text and their daily lives. Living with the word day by day invites us into a closer relationship with Christ, the God who became flesh.

Barbara Reid is known for her contributions to The Word, a widely read column in "America" magazine. "Abiding Word" showcases some of her finest entries.

The church's cycle of scriptural readings for the liturgy offers believers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the word of God. It is a very real and tangible way of responding to the call of Jesus: "Remain in me, as I remain in you." In Abiding Word, Barbara Reid, OP, takes the Sunday experience to every day with accessible weekly meditations on the Lectionary readings of the year. This collection of articles, which includes Scripture readings for Sundays and solemnities followed by reflections, allows readers to meditate on the connection between the sacred text and their daily lives. Living with the word day by day invites us into a closer relationship with Christ, the God who became flesh. Barbara Reid is known for her contributions to The Word, a widely read column in America magazine. Abiding Word showcases some of her finest entries.

Remain in me, as I remain in you."

Jesus' disciples are given this command in John's gospel, and it is a command that extends to every one of his followers, including us. We deepen this mutual indwelling-we in Christ and Christ in us-each Sunday through the word and at the tale.

In "Abiding Word," Barbara Reid, OP, takes the Sunday experience to every day with accessible weekly meditations on the lectionary readings of year. This collection of articles, which includes Scripture readings for Sundays and solemnities followed by reflections, allows readers to meditate on the connection between the sacred text and their daily lives. Living with the word day by day invites us into a closer relationship with Christ, the God who became flesh.

Barbara Reid is known for her contributions to "The Word," a widely read column in America magazine. "Abiding Word"showcases some of her finest entries.

"Barbara Reid, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She holds a PhD in biblical studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC and is professor of New Testament and vice president and academic dean at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Her most recent books are "Taking Up the Cross: New Testament Interpretations Through Latina and Feminist Eyes "(Fortress Press, 2007), "The Gospel According to Matthew "(Liturgical Press, 2005), "Parables for Preachers "(3 volumes; Liturgical Press, 1999, 2000, 2001), "Choosing the Better Part? Women in the Gospel of Luke" (Liturgical Press, 1996). She has led many of CTU's Israel Study Programs and Retreats. She is general editor for Wisdom Commentary Series (forthcoming from Liturgical Press).""

The parables of Jesus are puzzling sayings and stories with world-transforming potential. "Parables for Preachers" offers an understanding of how parables work and a fresh variety of possible meanings not only for Jesus's original audience and for the early Christians for whom Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote but also for contemporary Christians as well. The Gospel parables are analyzed in the order in which they appear in the Lectionary, making this book an indispensable resource for preachers, teachers, catechists, liturgy planners, and Bible study groups.

Barbara Reid is Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. She is the author of "Matthew" in the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series as well as "Choosing the Better Part? Women in the Gospel of Luke," both published by Liturgical Press.

The parables of Jesus are puzzling sayings and stories with world-transforming potential. "Parables for Preachers" offers an understanding of how parables work and a fresh variety of possible meanings not only for Jesus ' original audience and for the early Christians for whom Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote but also for contemporary Christians as well. The Gospel parables are analyzed in the order in which they appear in the Lectionary, making this book an indispensable resource for preachers, teachers, catechists, liturgy planners, and Bible study groups.

Barbara Reid is Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. She is the author of "Matthew" in the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series as well as "Choosing the Better Part? Women in the Gospel of Luke," both published by Liturgical Press.

The parables of Jesus are puzzling sayings and stories with world-transforming potential. "Parables for Preachers" offers an understanding of how parables work and a fresh variety of possible meanings not only for Jesus's original audience and for the early Christians for whom Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote but also for contemporary Christians as well. The Gospel parables are analyzed in the order in which they appear in the Lectionary, making this book an indispensable resource for preachers, teachers, catechists, liturgy planners, and Bible study groups.

Barbara Reid is Professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. She is the author of "Matthew" in the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series as well as "Choosing the Better Part? Women in the Gospel of Luke," both published by Liturgical Press.

Because the Gospel of Luke includes more stories about women than any other Gospel, many find it is the most helpful in the search for equality for women in the Church today. However, feminist interpreters have discovered that Luke's portrait of women is ambiguous at best and hazardous at worst. "Choosing the Better Part?" focuses on the sayings of Jesus and on the passages in the Gospel of Luke in which women figure as characters. It suggests that these stories be reinterpreted and reconsidered from a feminist perspective, so that readers may know how to choose the better part" toward equality and inclusivity.

While there certainly are women disciples in Luke and Acts, their role is presented by the third evangelist as clearly different from that of the men. They are portrayed primarily as silent and passive. Their ministry is carried out behind- the-scenes, supporting the more visible, public ministries of the male disciples. This commentary shows that there is more than one way to read the biblical tradition and that it matters vitally how one reads it."Choosing the Better Part?" examines a number of possible approaches to the texts (critical, literary, and narrative) and uncovers their presuppositions and their consequences helping both women and men, particularly those who preach and teach the Scriptures, to do so in a way that will promote a Church of equal disciples, where gender differences no longer dictate ministerial roles.

Reid has written this work not as the definitive interpretation of the Lukan stories of women, but as an aid in critical biblical study, coupled with reflection on experiences of the global community and reliance on the Spirit to "choose the better part" to bring fullness of life for al. "Barbara E. Reid, OP, holds a PhD in biblical studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and is assistant professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Her scholarly interests center on Luke- Acts, Paul, and feminist interpretation of Scripture. Her most recent articles appeared in "Biblical Research, The Bible Today, " and" New Theology Review."

Woman Wisdom in Proverbs 9 invites any who want to learn her ways to come and eat at her table - an image for the rich and satisfying teaching that she offers. In this book Barbara Reid invites readers to this feast, drawing on women's wisdom to offer fresh new interpretations of biblical texts in a way that promotes equal dignity and value for women and men alike. Reid begins by presenting feminist methods of biblical interpretation and explaining why they are important, giving attention not only to gender perspectives but also to race, class, and culture as determinative factors in how one understands the biblical text. She then presents fresh, readable feminist interpretations of selected Old and New Testament texts. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions for group or personal use. Making feminist interpretation of Scripture understandable, compelling, and usable, Wisdom's Feast will be valuable to any readers hungry to learn from the rich insights of feminist biblical scholars.

This book is a collection of essays that contribute to the debate on the contextual interpretation of scripture from an African context. The book engages biblical narratives from the lived experiences of Africans, insisting that meaning is attained only when people bring their daily experiences into their reading of scripture. The contributors examine the interaction of African peoples with the Bible in juxtaposition with the forces of colonialism, neocolonialism, patriarchy, war, and bad governance. This book gives voice to the lived experiences of African peoples in their quest for full expression of the profundity of their union with God by aiding them to unmask inhumanity and indignity.

The striking scene of Judith cutting off Holofernes's head with his own sword in his own bed has inspired the imaginations of readers for millennia. But there is more to her story than just this climactic act and more to her character than just beauty and violence. This volume offers a comprehensive examination of gender ideologies in the book of Judith, from the hyper-masculine machinations of war and empire to the dynamics of class in Judith's relationship with her enslaved handmaid. Overall, this commentary investigates the book of Judith through a feminist lens, informed by critical masculinity studies, queer theory, and reception criticism.

Discussions of the meaning of Jesus' passion are at a creative high point, in part because of popular events like Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, but also because of a groundswell of interest in contemporary biblical scholarship. Barbara E. Reid, O.P., here pays attention to the role of women in the accounts of Jesus' passion and observes that some of the interpretations of Jesus' death in the New Testament open us up to life and liberation, while others have been used to perpetuate cycles of violence and victimization. When women have identified their suffering with that of Jesus, this has sometimes given them strength, but has also led to a harmful acceptance of unjust suffering. Reid explores five theological "images" of the death of Jesus through conversation with the voices of women from Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru and examination of the roles of women in the New Testament accounts. The result is an illuminating combination of New Testament exegesis with a liberative constructive theology.