Biblical theology and liturgical theology often do not seem in dialogue with one another as much as they ought to be. We hear the Bible read, of course, during the Mass. We have readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, Paul, and the Gospels, but the range of biblical passages referenced throughout the liturgy and the sacraments can be too easy to overlook.

The Liturgy and Life Study Bible is a unique and uniquely helpful study Bible that connects Scripture and liturgy. The translation used in this study Bible is the New American Bible, Revised Edition. I will outline the four basic features of this study Bible moving from less to most helpful.

The first tool presented in this Bible is a set of twenty-one short essays. We have, for example, “Scripture and the Liturgical Year” by Reverend Paul Turner, “The Hebrew Bible in Jewish Liturgy” by Rabbi Dalia Mark, and “New Testament and the Liturgy” by Reverend George M. Smiga. The first eight of these essays are called “major essays,” including the three named above, while the remaining essays are called “minor essays.” All but one of the “minor essays” runs less than two pages. These essays (major and minor) are informative and clear and set the stage for what follows.

Each biblical book is given two introductions. The first emphasizes the liturgical context and relevance of the biblical book in question, while the second offers a general introduction to the biblical book. The first set of introductions (the “liturgical introductions”) are unique to this study Bible and prime the reader to connect the particular biblical book that follows with the liturgy. I could see a study Bible that features these introductions alone advertised as a liturgical study Bible, but the two further tools, described below, are what make this study Bible exceptional.

The third feature of the Liturgy and Life Study Bible are the footnotes, called “comment notes.” These notes explain the liturgical connection of particular verses. All study Bibles feature extensive footnotes, but this study Bible is the first I have seen that uses its footnotes to focus on the relevance of individual verses to the liturgy. These notes are valuable in themselves but also alert the reader to make use of the tool described below.

We come now to the most helpful feature of the Liturgy and Life Study Bible – the “Table of Liturgical Scriptures.” This table takes a particular biblical passage and lists every use of that passage in the liturgy. If the biblical text in question is used in the Lectionary, or the Missal or the sacramental rites, or elsewhere, the reader will be informed. The thoroughness of this apparatus should be emphasized. Anyone interested in connecting Bible and liturgy will find this tool most useful. Biblical theologians trying to connect their work to the liturgy or liturgical theologians trying to connect their work to the Bible will be given a substantive aid in their research. Theology students and professors, priests and deacons preparing their homilies, and any person aiming to explore the symbiotic relationship (each provides essential context for the other) between Bible and worship will find this study Bible a powerful help in their exploration.