Christ Our Light Catholic Church - Loudonville, NY

From Deacon Dick

“When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel.” (General Instructions of the Roman Missal, no. 29)

 LISTENING AND HEARKENING TO SCRIPTURE

Part I - Church Teaching Some have wondered why we no longer print our Sunday Scripture readings in our parish bulletin. It’s a valid question for those who have been accustomed to reading the Scriptures simultaneously with the proclamation from the ambo.  And so this weekend, we’ll take a look at what the Church teaches through the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.  Then next weekend, we’ll expand on this teaching in terms of our preparation for our Eucharistic Liturgies.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us that when the Word of God is proclaimed it possesses a special sacramental power to bring about in us what it proclaims. Further, Scripture not only gives us information, it is the vehicle God uses to reveal himself to us. 

And so the General Instruction tells us that “the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently by everyone.” The key word is listening.  The Bishops point out that “unless one is unable to hear, one should not be reading along with a text from a missal or missalette…  (for) we should listen as we would if Christ himself were standing at the ambo, for in fact it is God who speaks.” 

You and I are invited to be truly present with our whole being as we actively and attentively listen. However, if we have our head down following the printed word, we may miss “the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit …  because we are anxious to ‘keep up’, to move along with the lector.”

Next week we’ll consider the notion of “tilling the soil” …  reading and reflecting upon Sunday’s readings during the prior week.