"Christ's word gathers the people of God as one
and increases and sustains them. This applies above all
to the Liturgy of the Word in the celebration of the Mass."
and increases and sustains them. This applies above all
to the Liturgy of the Word in the celebration of the Mass."
- from the Introduction to the Lectionary
Prior to Vatican II, the two readings that were heard on Sundays followed an annual cycle. As part of the renewal of the liturgy, the Council decided 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." Thus, we went to three readings at each Sunday liturgy, and a three-year rotation of readings. During "Year A," we hear predominantly from the Gospel of Matthew; during "Year B," we hear predominantly from Mark; and during "Year C," we hear predominantly Luke. The Gospel of John is largely used during the festive seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter), plus several Sundays during August in Year B (because Mark's gospel is relatively short). Note that we are currently in Year B, which is why we heard a lot of John's Gospel in recent weeks.
Perhaps the more interesting part is how the First and Second Readings and Responsorial Psalm are chosen. During Ordinary Time (which is over half of the liturgical year), the First Reading has been chosen to correspond to the Gospel passage. Thus, to get an insight into the significance of the Gospel on any Ordinary Sunday, read it together with the First Reading.
The Responsorial Psalm is intended to foster meditation on the Word of God and is chosen as a response to the First Reading. Since the First Reading is harmonized with the Gospel, the Responsorial Psalm is thus also related to the Gospel in some way.
The Second Reading during Ordinary Sundays is a series of sequential readings from the letters of Paul and James and the letter to the Hebrews.
During the festive seasons, all of the readings are selected so that they bring out the particular character of the season.
For further information, go to http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/.
I understand the responsorial Psalm is intended to foster meditation on the Word of God. It is chosen as a response to the First Reading and is related to the Gospel in some way. I’ve often wondered why(in some parishes) do we often hear the same responsorial psalm repeated on numerous occasions (sometimes routinely) throughout the year? Is it because it is familiar or that the musical director is not aware of the options available? I love the Psalms and appreciate hearing more of them.
ReplyDeleteThe Lectionary does contain seasonal responsorials, which may be used in their appropriate season. I believe they were set forth in order to facilitate more and better singing of the responsorials, with the thought that a parish community could learn a handful of responsorials and be good for the whole liturgical year. However, the seasonal responsorials should not be used blindly: one should be chosen for how well it offers a response to the First Reading (as noted in my original post).
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