◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 45:1-2 6-9 (Anointed with the oil of gladness); Song of Solomon 1:1-17 (Love better than wine); James 1:1-8 (One who doubts is like a wave of the sea) (New Catholic Bible)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 45:1-2

Psalm 45^[a]

Nuptial Ode for the Messianic King

¹For the director.^[b] According to “Lilies.” A maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.

²^[c]My heart^[d] is moved by a noble theme
as I sing my poem to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.

Footnotes

Psalm 45:1 This unique psalm, probably composed for a royal wedding, opens with the dedication to the king, then lets the ceremony unfold before our eyes. First, it celebrates the monarchy, depicting it under the characteristics of a new David, the Anointed One already acclaimed by Isaiah (see Isa 9:5f; 11:3-5). He is a splendid war chief, a lieutenant of God who comes forth with a dazzling cortege; upon him rests the promise made to the House of David (see 2 Sam 7). Next it addresses and celebrates the queen—a foreigner (Ps 45:11-18)—placed at the right hand of her royal spouse, richly adorned and heaped with gifts. She is ushered into the palace followed by her bridesmaids and offered an array of good wishes.
The psalm also reminds us of a different kind of marriage. The Prophets had spoken of God as espoused to his people (see Isa 62:5; Ezek 16:8f; Hos 2:16), a rich, though bold image. As Jews reread this beautiful lyric text, they had a presentiment of the covenant that the future Messiah was to establish and extend to include the pagan peoples. The Christian tradition finds in it a prediction of the marriage of Christ and the Church (Mt 9:15; 22:9; Jn 3:29; 2 Cor 11:5; Eph 5:22; Rev 19:9; 21:2), the new and definitive covenant that is extended to all peoples.
The Liturgy draws upon this psalm in celebrating the most impressive fulfillment of these mystical espousals: the Virgin Mary, Queen and Bride of the King, and those who, following her, have chosen Christ for their Bridegroom.
Psalm 45:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. According to “Lilies”: nothing is known about these words. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a. Sons of Korah: see note on Ps 42:1.
Psalm 45:2 The poet addresses the King-Messiah and applies to him attributes of Yahweh (see Ps 145:4-7, 12f, etc.) and of Immanuel (see Isa 9:5f; 11:3-5). He is urged to conduct himself in such a way that his reign will be adorned even more splendidly than the wedding vestments he has on (Ps 45:4-6). The best way he can do so is to make the glory of his kingdom consist in justice and righteousness (vv. 7-10).
Psalm 45:2 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.

Psalm 45:6-9

⁶Your arrows are sharp;
    nations will lie beneath your feet;
    the enemies of the king will lose heart.^[a]
⁷Your throne, O God,^[b] will last forever and ever;
    the scepter of your kingdom will be a scepter of justice.
⁸You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has established you above your fellow kings
    by anointing you with the oil of gladness.
⁹^[c]All your robes are fragrant
    with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces of ivory
    stringed instruments bring joy to your heart.

Song of Songs 1

Chapter 1

Title and Prologue^[a]

¹The Song of Songs by Solomon.^[b]

Longing for Love

Bride:

²Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
Your^[c] love is more delightful than wine;
³    fragrant is the scent of your anointing oils.^[d]
Your name is a perfume poured out,
    and that is why the maidens love you.
⁴Take me with you, and let us make haste;
    bring me into your chamber, O king.

Companions:

We will exult and rejoice in you;^[e]
we will praise your love more than wine;
how right it is to love you.

First Poem

Tell Me, You Whom My Heart Loves

Let Me Not Be Found Wandering . . .^[f]

Bride:

⁵I am dark^[g] but lovely,
    O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
    like the curtains of Salma.
⁶Do not stare at me because I am dark,
    for I was scorched by the sun.
My mother’s sons vented their rage against me;
    they forced me to look after the vineyards,
    but my own vineyard^[h] I could not watch over.
⁷Tell me, you whom my heart loves,
    where you pasture your flocks,
    and where you rest them at midday,^[i]
so that I may not be found wandering
    beside the flocks of your companions.

Companions:

⁸If you do not know,
    O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flocks
    and pasture your young goats
    close to the tents of the shepherds.

To Sit in His Shadow Is My Delight^[j]

Bridegroom:

⁹I compare you, my beloved,
    to a mare^[k] harnessed to Pharaoh’s chariot.
¹⁰Your cheeks are beautiful with pendants
    and your neck with its jeweled necklaces.
¹¹We will make ornaments of gold for you
    that are studded with silver.

Bride:

¹²While the king reclines on his couch,
    my nard^[l] yields its fragrance.
¹³My beloved is for me a sachet of myrrh^[m]
    that lies between my breasts.
¹⁴My beloved is for me a cluster of henna^[n] blossoms
    in the vineyards of En-gedi.

Bridegroom:

¹⁵How beautiful you are, my beloved,
how beautiful you are;
your eyes are doves.^[o]

Bride:

¹⁶How handsome you are, my love,
and how you delight me.
Our couch is verdant.^[p]

Bridegroom:

¹⁷The beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters are all of pine.

Footnotes

Song of Songs 1:1 Solomon composed poems and songs, and tradition decided to place this Book under his patronage. But let us go on to the text itself.
The bride is seized with the desire to rejoin her bridegroom in a perfect and joyous union. She issues a call for him to be with her and musters up her hope. In uninterrupted variations, the Song will take up again the same call and the same hope.
Is it not equally true that the people of God in the solitude of the Exile wait impatiently for the day on which God, their King, will manifest himself anew and lead them back to the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Today, the Church—and every believer with her—remains in wait for the coming of her Lord.
Song of Songs 1:1 The speakers are indicated by the captions Bride, Bridegroom, and Companions respectively. In some cases, the divisions are open to question. By Solomon: Solomon is said to have authored one thousand and five songs (1 Ki 5:12).
Song of Songs 1:2 Him . . . his . . . Your: these all refer to the bridegroom. Love: i.e., expressions of love (see v. 4; 4:10; 7:12; see also Prov 7:18; Ezek 16:8; 23:17). More delightful than wine: words used by the bridegroom in Song 4:10.
Song of Songs 1:3 Fragrant . . . your anointing oils: an image of the charms that attract the heart. Maidens: perhaps members of the royal court (see Song 6:8-9). They may also stand for the nations (see Isa 23:12; 37:22; 47:1; Jer 14:17).
Song of Songs 1:5 We will exult and rejoice in you: joy is one of the greatest blessings of the Messianic prophecies of salvation (see Pss 14:7; 16:9; 21:1; Isa 9:2; 66:10; Joel 2:21, 23; Zep 3:17).
Song of Songs 1:5 A bride separated from her bridegroom shows signs of the trial. Her entourage may no doubt give her grief concerning some weaknesses, but she rediscovers her self-esteem and decides to set out in search of her lover. Her companions form the chorus that will continuously intervene in the unfolding of these poems that are more or less arranged in the form of a drama. Hearing the calls of the bride, they jest with her and suggest that she follow the other shepherds!
Thus, far from the land from which it has been exiled as a result of too many infidelities, Israel seeks God; but how can the temptation for its people to turn toward foreign gods be rooted out? No matter what defeats may be incurred, the community of believers must unceasingly rediscover its hope on its pilgrimage to the Lord.
Song of Songs 1:5 Dark: burnt by the sun from laboring in the vineyard of her brothers. Daughters of Jerusalem: the chorus (Companions) with whom the bride and the bridegroom interact (see Song 5:9; 6:1). Kedar: name of a Bedouin tribe descended from Ishmael (Gen 25:13) that lived in the Desert of Arabia and was famous for its flocks (see Isa 60:7; Ezek 27:21).
Song of Songs 1:6 My own vineyard: i.e., her body (see Song 2:15; 8:12). She has given her heart to the bridegroom.
Song of Songs 1:7 The bride is now seeking the bridegroom because they are apart. This theme runs throughout the Book (Song 3:1-4; 4:8; 5:2-8; 6:1), and the resolution occurs at the end of the Book with the mutual possession of the couple (see Song 8:5). Midday: a time for rest in hot climates. It also stands for supreme happiness (see Job 11:17; Ps 37:6; Isa 58:10).
Song of Songs 1:9 The bridegroom has heard the call of his beloved and soon appears. They have a feast, each one singing the charms and the presence of the other as well as evoking the plants and flowers of Israel. The lovers withdraw to a corner brimming with greenery. The beloved falls into the arms of her lover and rests in the dream of love fulfilled.
In somewhat the same way, God responds to his people’s call. If Israel returns to him with love, she will remain his beloved among the nations. The Lord, her King, will be for her joy and favor. The last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation, foresees the day when believers will be filled with the refound joy of God.
Song of Songs 1:9 Mare: allusion to the splendid mounts of the Pharaoh. The comparison was a classic one in the East.
Song of Songs 1:12 Nard: a precious perfume (see Song 4:13-14; Mk 14:3; Jn 12:3), which symbolizes the bride (see Song 4:14).
Song of Songs 1:13 Myrrh: a feminine perfume (see Est 2:12; Prov 17:7). The sachet of myrrh, which women carried in their bosom, was a sign of love for their husbands. Myrrh was also used on royal nuptial robes (see Ps 45:8).
Song of Songs 1:14 The henna plant had highly perfumed blossoms. En-gedi: an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, to which David retreated when hunted by Saul (see 1 Sam 24:1).
Song of Songs 1:15 Your eyes are doves: symbolic of an innocent and personable individual.
Song of Songs 1:16 The lovers embrace in the field under the trees.

James 1:1-8

Salutation

Chapter 1

Greeting.^[a] ¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: greetings.

Exhortation To Practice Patience

Trials—the Test of a Faith in Progress.^[b] ²My brethren, consider it a cause of great joy whenever you endure various trials, ³for you know that the testing of your faith will develop perseverance. ⁴And let perseverance complete its work so that you may become perfect and complete, and not be deficient in any respect.

A Believer’s Prayer.^[c] ⁵If someone among you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But he is to ask with faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. ⁷A man like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸since he is of two minds and inconsistent in everything he does.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 45[a]

Nuptial Ode for the Messianic King

Footnotes

Footnotes

Chapter 1

Title and Prologue[a]

Longing for Love

Bride:

Companions:

First Poem

Tell Me, You Whom My Heart Loves

Let Me Not Be Found Wandering . . .[f]

Bride:

Companions:

To Sit in His Shadow Is My Delight[j]

Bridegroom:

Bride:

Bridegroom:

Bride:

Bridegroom:

Footnotes

Salutation

Chapter 1

Exhortation To Practice Patience

Footnotes

Psalm 45^[a]

Title and Prologue^[a]

Let Me Not Be Found Wandering . . .^[f]

To Sit in His Shadow Is My Delight^[j]