Back on September 30, 2019, on the memorial of the great Scripture scholar St. Jerome, Pope Francis announced that each year on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we will celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God in our Church’s liturgical calendar. The Pope’s intention is that through this celebration, Catholics will grow in the study, learning, and love of Holy Scripture.
I look at myself as a priest, at how the Word of God is at the center of my life in so many ways. In the homily that I present at the Mass, which I spend a considerable amount of time preparing, I as a priest am asked by the Church to reflect upon the Word of God that is proclaimed at Mass. We look at the crisis of faith that is present in the United States and in many parts of the world today. Many people used the pandemic as an excuse to walk away from the faith or to disengage from the Church. Perhaps getting back to the Word of God as a central part of our faith journey is one of the ways of reengaging people with our Catholic faith. Pope Francis has called all of us to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus, no matter where we are on our journey. Meeting Jesus in Sacred Scripture is an essential way we encounter him, for which there is no substitution.
A good way to increase the role of the Word of God in our lives is to read Sacred Scripture on a daily basis. Many people have followed a popular podcast this past year that encourage them to read the Bible in a year. Attending some of the daily Masses or reading the Scripture readings for daily Mass is a great way to increase the place of the Word of God in our lives. Blessings to all of you as we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God this weekend. Father Lincoln.
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