Tuesday, April 06, 2021

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.

A correction for yesterday: I really need to proofread myself better to make sure that auto-correct isn't being too "helpful." The springtime festival in yesterday's reading is PENTECOST, not Passover.

Today's chapters are 2 Chronicles 18-20.

The story of the false prophets and the true prophet is repeated almost verbatim from 2 Kings, so we can appreciate the irony even more on this reading. The wicked King Ahab is right to be suspicious when the singular prophet parrots the common, soothing prophecy designed to comfort royal ears.

Start reading 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.

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