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 17-19.

In the final chapters from the Book of Wisdom we read of the last of the plagues visited upon Egypt and the mystery of Passover. Words that refer to the Passover Angel of Death have been applied to the Incarnation, when Christ, the "all-powerful Word" and Wisdom of the Heavenly Father will himself come down from "Heaven's royal throne" to the "doomed land" "when half-spent was the night." (Yes, this verse is part of the Christmas hymn, "Lo, How a Rose 'Ere Blooming.")

For when peaceful stillness encompassed everything
and the night in its swift course was half spent,
Your all-powerful word from heaven’s royal throne
leapt into the doomed land.

Wisdom 18: 14-15

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.