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 Wisdom 5-7 and (because it is Sunday) Psalms 97 and 98.

We start today with a kind of "memento mori" moment: a reminder of how very different this life will seem when looked at from the perspective of the next life. This is a fundamental kind of wisdom. In Chapter 7, Solomon, "the" wise man, describes wisdom for us in an elaborate poem made up of seven sets of three qualities. Both seven and three are symbolic of perfection or completeness, so we have here the perfection of perfection. And this is only right, since this is God's Wisdom, "a breath of the might of God," the "spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness." (These are terms we now would use in speaking of the Persons of the Trinity!) 

Psalm 97 sings the praises of the true God, whose glory will one day be revealed before the whole creation in a victory that shows just how empty all our silly idols are. We can pray this Psalm asking the Lord to help us divest ourselves of the false gods we are constantly tempted to put on his throne.

Psalm 98 retells the story of God's mercy and Israel's many lapses from grace. It is especially noteworthy to Catholics as a source for the expression "Bread of Angels" (Panis angelorum; panis angelicus) Referring (of course!) to the manna, a prophetic foreshadowing of the Eucharist, the Psalmist sang:

God rained manna upon them for food;
grain from heaven he gave them.
Man ate the bread of the angels;
food he sent in abundance.

Psalm 78:24-25

Start reading Wisdom here and the Psalms here.

My favorite tenor (Franco Corelli, RIP) singing Panis Angelicus (you should hear his Celeste Aida!)

If you are looking for a solid but approachable companion to the Bible, I can wholeheartedly recommend A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre. Although the authors are top-level Scripture scholars, they write for "real" readers. Notes include recent findings from archaeology and ancient manuscripts, and how each book of the Bible has been understood by the Church Fathers and used in Liturgy.