How to read, interpret and pray with the Bible

The Bible is a complex library of history, wisdom and spirituality all communicating God’s intimate and inclusive presence. How can we study these texts to better understand them, and at the same time learn to pray with them?  To discuss this, Jame Martin, S.J, welcomes Sister Barbara Reid, O.P. to “The Spiritual Life.” Sister Barbara is a Dominican sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a leading biblical scholar, who also specializes in feminist interpretations of Scripture. She was the first woman religious to serve as the president of Catholic Theological Union, in Chicago, where she continues to teach New Testament studies, and is also a former president of the Catholic Biblical Association. She is the general editor of the Wisdom Commentary series, a collection of biblical commentaries and  is the author of many books on biblical criticism, the New Testament and feminist approaches to Scripture.   Chapters: 00:00 Who is Sister Barbara Reid, OP? 7:16 Becoming a Dominican Sister 10:36 Daily prayer as a Dominican 15:15 Studying vs. praying the Scriptures 18:17 Sr. Barbara's journey with the Bible 27:00 What Christians need to know 31:48 "Compassion" in the Bible 35:58 Feminist approaches to the Bible 43:58 Tackling difficult Bible passages 47:04 Feminist approaches to Jesus 54:30 How Jesus upended gender roles 56:05 Audience question: Finding affirmation in the church Read Maggi's spiritual advice column for this episode Links from the show:  At the Table of Holy Wisdom: Global Hungers and Feminist Biblical Interpretation Wisdom’s Feast: An Invitation to Feminist Interpretation of the Scriptures Choosing The Better Part?: Women in the Gospel of Luke Taking Up the Cross: New Testament Interpretations through Latina and Feminist Eyes How we read Scripture can help or hinder efforts toward gender equality  Support The Spiritual Life by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at:  thespirituallife@americamedia.org Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices