The Mass: Liturgy of the Word, Introduction

One of the earliest directives from the Second Vatican Council was that “The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s Word. In this way a more representative portion of the holy Scripture will be read to the people over a set cycle of years”.

After Vatican II, a new 3-year cycle of readings at Sunday Mass was developed - each year being put under the “guardianship” of one of the synoptic Gospel writers (synoptic simply means seeing things from the same point of view....roughly!) So, Year 1 (or A) is based on Matthew; Year 2 (B) is Mark and Year 3 (C) is Luke. John’s Gospel lends itself to the seasons - and so is mainly used in Lent and Easter.

The Gospel is read almost straight through - though, obviously, as there are not enough weeks in the year to hear it all, sections are missed out.

The First Reading usually comes from the Old Testament - which, before Vatican II was a closed book to most Catholics. This Reading is chosen to give us an insight onto the Gospel - perhaps an incident in the Old Testament that is similar to the one recorded in the Gospel - or an idea that an Old Testament writer had about God that Jesus fulfils.

To enrich our experience of the Old Testament, the Reading is followed by a Psalm which acts as a “response” - the Responsorial Psalm. Again, many Catholics were not fully aware of this part of our heritage but gradually, over the years, we have recovered these prayers that have fed people’s souls for thousands of years.

The final piece in the Liturgy of the Word jigsaw is a Reading from the letters written to the early Church. These letters were designed to help the new Christians grow in knowledge of God - and Jesus - and to learn how to be disciples.

The presentation of the Liturgy of the Word is usually - Old Testament Reading - Responsorial Psalm - New Testament letter - an Alleluia/ Acclamation - Gospel.

Take Time Out

Find time to look ahead to the Sunday Readings. The links between the Old Testament reading and Gospel are not always easy to find! - but the Psalm might help you to think about what might be being said about God’s power in both readings. Then think about what the letter writer might be saying to you about your discipleship...

Bring your reflections into your listening to the Readings - and, hopefully, you will find them closer to the “lavish fare” desired for us by the Vatican II writers.