UNDERSTANDING THE LITURGY by John J. O'Brien, C.P.

THE LECTIONARY: PART TWO

A few years ago I was giving a formation evening for lectors, proclaimers of God's Word. One person asked, what's the Lectionary all about?

The Lectionary we are most used to is that big red book. It contains the carefully selected biblical readings for the following Eucharists: 1. the three year Sunday cycles, 2. weekdays, 3. the celebrations of saints month by month, 4. readings for Mary, martyrs, pastors, and doctors of the church, 5. the ritual Masses for various sacraments, 6. readings for special occasions (e.g., the Trinity, Triumph of the Cross, the Sacred Heart, the Holy Spirit, etc.)

A lot of research and work went into putting the biblical selections together for our nourishment. Sometimes readings are assigned to a Sunday or a feast. Other times there are options which can be chosen with pastoral care in mind (e.g., a wedding or a funeral). Usually the ones who need to pay most attention to this are the proclaimers (the lay reader, the deacon and the priest).

Most Catholics are familiar with the scriptures for Sunday. We use two Sunday Lectionaries here at St. Malachy. The first is the Children's Lectionary. This lists the readings for the children's liturgy of the Word. After the opening prayer at the 10:00am Eucharist, the children are dismissed so that they can hear the Word and share its meaning for them. This ministry, one that takes place throughout the year, is a real blessing for our children. I am proud that this ministry is done at St. Malachy. I hope that you are proud of this, too.

Baptized adults and catechumens have become familiar with the three year Sunday cycles of readings (Mark, Matthew, and Luke). This includes the Sundays of: 1. Advent followed by Christmas-Epiphany, 2. Lent-the Paschal Triduum-Easter, and 3. the Sundays of ordinary time.

What a rich biblical banquet we are given! Most of the year the initial reading is from the Jewish scriptures (originally written in Hebrew and Greek). This selection may come from the first five books (=the Pentateuch), the prophets, or the wisdom literature. Our faith is rooted in Judaism, in its principal figures like Abraham and Sarah, Jeremiah and Esther, Ruth and David. These holy people are soul-friends with us today.

Then scripture interprets scripture. This is an old biblical custom for Jews and Christians. We do this by singing a line that comes from one of the psalms as a cantor sings the psalm verses. The 150 psalms (=the Psalter) were the original prayer book. They convey all kinds of feelings: sorrow, joy, thanks, petition for needs, praise, delight, heart-wrenching lament, hope for deliverance. It is important that we let ourselves feel the sentiments of the psalm.

The next reading is usually from the letters of St. Paul to the various churches. These texts are read continuously from their beginning to their end.

Finally, we stand for the festive Alleluia and the proclamation of the Gospel. Each year we focus on one Gospel (Mark, Matthew, Luke). Often there is a connection between the initial Jewish biblical reading and the Gospel. This is also an old biblical custom for us Christians.

So enjoy. This is rich nourishment.