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 Kings 4-5 and (because it is Sunday) Psalms 45-46.

The legendary wisdom of Solomon is spelled out for us today. The sacred author shows us that in Solomon, Israel is at the top of her game--and at the top of the world. Among the young king's priorities is the building of a majestic Temple. As you might expect, he hires the world's best for the job--even if they happen to be pagan architects and craftsmen. The great Temple of Jerusalem will be built by "the whole world" to honor the one true God.

Psalm 45 is a royal wedding ode. It refers to the bride as a "daughter of Tyre" and our reading today includes Solomon's negotiations with the King of Tyre! But that is just incidental. Psalm 45 is an especially significant Psalm: It is used for the Mass of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary ("the Queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold"); it is also used for the Common of Virgins in the Office of Readings where it underlines the spousal relationship of the consecrated woman (a stand-in for each and every baptized person) with Christ. Christ, of course, is the Royal Bridegroom in a Catholic reading of the Bible. Psalm 45 speaks of the royal bridegroom as "anointed...with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings." Kings are, of course, anointed, but the Anointed One is Jesus Christ (chris- is the root form of "anoint") and the "oil of gladness" is associated with the Holy Spirit (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 688, 1294). Even when the immediate context is a particular king or the Chosen People as a whole, any mention of an "anointed one" in the Psalms can be interpreted as ultimately referring to Christ.

For a word by word commentary on the Psalm by St Augustine, go to: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801045.htm

Start reading 1 Kings here, Psalm 45 here and Psalm 46 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.