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 Ecclesiastes 4-6 and (because it is Sunday) Psalms 95 and 96.
More proverbs from Qoheleth (some of what he says will sound quite familiar by now!).
Psalm 95 is quite important, both in the Bible itself and in the Liturgy (specifically in the Liturgy of the Hours). With its words of warning, the Psalm tells us to take God's action in history (and in our own lives!) seriously: don't act like "your ancestors" in the desert, God says, otherwise you will not have "rest" to look forward to. (The New Testament author of the Letter to the Hebrews will meditate on this with fascination: What is this "rest" that is still available to the people of God?) In the Liturgy of the Hours, on the other hand, we focus on the beginning of the Psalm. In fact, the Psalm gets its role from its opening words: "Come, let us sing to the Lord." Psalm 95 is the typical "Invitatory Psalm," or "invitation to prayer": the first prayer of the day in the official prayer of the Church!
Psalm 96 continues the theme of singing to the Lord "who comes to govern the world with justice." This psalm is especially used in the Christmas season. (What does that suggest about Baby Jesus?)
Start reading Ecclesiastes here and the Psalms here.
No comments:
Post a Comment