Author picture
2 Works 11 Members 1 Review

About the Author

Includes the names: Mark A. Scott, Mark A. Scott Ocso

Works by Mark A. Scott OCSO

Tagged

Common Knowledge

There is no Common Knowledge data for this author yet. You can help.

Members

Reviews

Loving Jesus: Monastery Talks on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew
By Mark A. Scott, OCSO, Cistercian Publications, 2023, 203 pp., ISBN 978-0-87907-065-6, $34.95, (paper)
Loving Jesus: Monastery Talks on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew by Abbot Mark Scott is a series of reflections on the Sermon of the Mount. This book is part of the Monastic Wisdom series from Cistercian Publications. These reflections were originally chapter talks for the monks of New Melleray Abbey. In a series of short chapters, Abbot Scott focuses on a different part of the Sermon on the Mount. The reflections focus on one or two verses within chapters 4:12-9:35 of the Gospel of Matthew. The reflections are well written and are written at a level that is easily understood for the average person.
While informed by critical biblical scholarship, this is not an historical critical commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Rather, the talks attempt to get to the ethical and spiritual focus of the passage under consideration. The book weaves together the pericope, the whole of Scripture, and the Rule of Benedict to comment on a particular passage. Several times, the talks focus on topics that would be of greater interest to monks, which makes sense as the reflections were originally chapter talks. In reading this book, I would imagine that the reflections are like a public lectio divina.
Even with this limitation (though I am unsure if it should be called a limitation), this book would be of interest to all who are interested in the Sermon on the Mount. The book does not formally include the text of the passage that Abbot Scott is focusing on, however, with shorter passages, he usually quotes the passage within his talk. This book would be appropriate for parish libraries, oblate groups, and libraries with a focus on monasticism. In addition, this book could easily be a companion book to a Bible study class focused on Matthew’s Gospel or the Sermon on the Mount.
Robert Huttmeyer
Dallas, TX
… (more)
 
Flagged
morningrob | Jun 4, 2023 |

Statistics

Works
2
Members
11
Popularity
#857,862
Rating
4.0
Reviews
1
ISBNs
2