Hearing the Word
A Commentary on the Roman Lectionary
for Sundays and Festive Days
Introduction
            One of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was the reform and promotion of the liturgy mandated by the Council’s first document, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium).  It proclaimed that “the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows” (SC, n. 10).  The goal of the reform of the Sacred Liturgy was that “the Christian people . . . should understand (the sacred texts) with ease and take part in them fully, actively, and as a community” (SC, n. 21).  The Council fathers recognized that “Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy” and that “it is essential to promote that warm and lively appreciation of the Sacred Scripture to which the venerable tradition of Eastern and Western rites gives testimony” (SC, n. 24).  To achieve this goal the Council mandated the creation of a new Lectionary in which “The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s word” and “a more representative part of the Sacred Scripture will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years” (SC, n. 51).
            To provide the faithful with a fuller experience of the Word of God The Lectionary of the New Roman Missal used several principles in composing of the Order of Readings for Mass for Sundays and festive days.  Each liturgy has three readings and a responsorial psalm. The first is from the Old Testament or the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season. The psalm is a prayerful sung response to the first reading and sets the tone for the whole Liturgy of the Word. The second is from an apostolic writing, either an apostolic letter or the Book of Revelation.  The third and climatic reading is from the Gospels which is proclaimed by the deacon or priest and done with special reverence including a sung acclamation before the proclamation and the standing of the assembly during the reading.  This arrangement highlights the unity of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments which culminates in Christ and the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection.
The Lectionary has a three-year cycle featuring a different Gospel each year: Matthew (A Cycle), Mark (B Cycle), and Luke (C Cycle).  John’s Gospel is read largely in Lent and during the Easter Season.  The principles governing the Order of Reading for Sundays and festive days are two: “harmony” and “semi-continuous reading.”  During Ordinary Time the Gospels are read semi-continuously and the Old Testament texts are harmonized with the Gospel texts. The second readings from the apostolic letters are read in a semi-continuous fashion over several weeks.  During the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter the readings have a distinctive character which will be highlighted in the Commentary.
               This Commentary is designed for four audiences: (1) the faithful so that they may learn beforehand about the Sacred Scriptures they will hear proclaimed in the liturgy and respond more fully to that word in faith; (2) those who exercise the ministry of lector so that they may understand the readings in context and perceive in faith the central point of the revealed message; (3) music ministers and cantors so they may be aided in their selection of music and leading of the singing of the responsorial psalm; and (4) deacons and priests who have the responsibility of preparing homilies to lead the faithful to an affective knowledge of Scripture and the wondrous works of God.