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 Job 7-9.

The words we begin with today are Job's, speaking now to his friends, now in complaining prayer to God, shaking his fist at the Creator. That these expressions of human suffering are in the Bible strikes me as significant: Anyone can find that their misery has been put into words that are also the words of the Holy Spirit. We, too, have permission to yell at God, and shake our fists at him in pain and frustration.

Through it all, and especially in the face of Bildad's insinuations that Job is simply in denial about some deep dark sin that is the real reason behind his affliction, Job affirms his innocence. This is fundamental for the book: It is a pondering of the meaning of the suffering of the innocent. 

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.