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: 

My God, I adore and thank your loving and wise Providence, manifested on every page of Sacred Scripture. You have always been close to sinful and erring humanity, and have indicated the way and given hope. Amid the shadows of error and corruption, you kindled the light of your truth; amid universal corruption, you are the Just One; amid so much idolatry, humanity in every corner of the earth has cultivated a sincere worship of you.
Let my reading today increase my trust in your goodness, your mercy, and your unfailing faithfulness.

Today's chapters are 1 Chronicles 20-22 and (because it is Sunday) Psalms 69 and 70.

Once again we read about David's census and the resulting plague. In the midst of the punishment, God has mercy on the people of Jerusalem. And David pays an exorbitant price for the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite from which he will begin to have sacrifices offered regularly. It is the future site of the Temple. This emphasis on the Temple will continue pretty much through the end of the book. It is entirely fitting for Holy Week.

Psalm 69 is a lament that will be cited in the Gospels' crucifixion narratives: 

Insult has broken my heart, and I despair;
I looked for compassion, but there was none,
for comforters, but found none. 
Instead they gave me poison for my food; 
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar.

Start reading 1 Chronicles here and the Psalms here.

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.