Read the Bible with Me!

Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray: 

God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
who have made all things by your word
and in your wisdom have created people 
to rule this world that you have made,
and to render judgment in integrity of heart:
Give me Wisdom, the attendant at your throne, 
and reject me not from among your children;
for I am your servant, the child of your handmaid, 
a weak human being,  
and lacking in comprehension of your Word and your will.

Send your Wisdom from the holy heavens,
from your glorious throne,
to be with me, to guide me,
to enlighten me, to lead me to you.
(Based on Wis 9)

Today's chapters are Song of Songs 1-3.

Today we begin reading the Song of Songs (or Canticle of Canticles). In some ways, it is one of the stranger books of the Bible. For example, it does not mention God. For another, it is a passionate love poem that starts out (in the very first line!) with kissing, and makes it very clear that it is not a little peck on the cheek! (Songs 1:1).

Pope John Paul devoted several units of his Theology of the Body to the love of Bride and Groom in the Song of Songs, but he didn't deliver all the content in his public talks. (You have to read the unedited version of his material in Man and Woman He Created Them to see what he left out.) See below for the first hour of a 10-hour video lecture series on the Theology of the Body to really get into the saintly Pope's understanding of what is going on in this rapturous book of the Bible. (Use code ACYC2018 for a discount to purchase the series, for which I wrote the study guide.)

Start reading here.

About the Video Lecture Series Discover Theology of the Body

It's no secret that the Catholic Church has a unique set of teachings on sexuality and marriage, and that those teachings don't match the expectations or practice of a good many people today. Approaching those teachings from the vantage point of the Theology of the Body, however, has become a life-changing experience for thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics. 

How can the human body have a theology? Why would a Pope spend almost five years talking about it? How can the biblical vision of the human person as presented by Saint John Paul II transform your life?

Join Franciscan Father Robert Sprott in discovering the unexpected beauty and meaning behind the teachings of the Catholic Church as expressed in Pope John Paul's talks on the theme Man and Woman He Created Them.

In this series, individuals and groups will gain a greater appreciation not only of the Sacrament of Matrimony, but a deeper spirit of amazement and adoration of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, an understanding of the call to celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, a clearer sense of what it means when you say "I believe in the resurrection of the body," and just what's the matter with birth control. All this and more comes together under the Theology of the Body.

The video lecture series Discover Theology of the Body makes an excellent program for a book study of Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Each unit of the Pope's book is covered in approximately two hours of video. The free downloadable study guide (pauline.org/TOBguide) can help guide discussions as well as personal reflection.

Father Robert Sprott, a Catholic priest and a Franciscan holds an MA in anthropology and theology, and a PhD in linguistics.