|
CATHOLIC BIBLE STUDIES PART 4 The Role of the Scriptures in the Mass Dwight Longenecker, a convert to Catholicism and a popular writer and retreat leader, explains how the Scripture readings in Mass all work together to feed us with God's Word
|
|
This quotation from Dei Verbum makes two important points. First of all, the Word of God and the Body of Christ in the sacrament are both to be venerated with special reverence. But also, it is within the liturgy that we receive the bread of life both in the Scriptures and in Christ's body. At the Eucharist the three different parts of us are fed. Through the ministry of the Word our minds are fed, through the ministry of the sacrament our bodies are fed, and through the ministry of Christ's presence in both word and sacrament our souls are fed. At the Eucharist the Scriptures become real to us in a dynamic and living way because they are fused in one action of worship with the whole of the Eucharist. This is why, for a Catholic, the Scriptures gain their fullest meaning in the context of the Mass. The scholars who formulated the choice of readings for the lectionary, we use in Mass, have carefully chosen the most important bits in the bible to give us a balanced spiritual diet, which is shared over a three year cycle. The reason we stand when the gospel is read is to emphasize that this is Christ speaking to us in a very direct way Through these readings our attention is constantly focused on Christ through a highly structured plan based around the gospel reading. The reason we stand when the gospel is read is to emphasize that this is Christ speaking to us in a very direct way. Each year in the 3 year cycle concentrates on a particular evangelist. Year A is called the year of Matthew because the readings centre on Matthew's gospel. Year B is the year of Mark and Year C is the year of Luke. Each gospel leads us through different aspects of Jesus' life. Year A (the year of Matthew) focuses on his teaching ministry. Year B (the year of Mark) focuses on the person of Jesus while Year C (the year of Luke) follows the progress of his journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. John's gospel, which is more mystical, tends to be read at special times of the year like Lent or Easter-tide. There are also special readings for Advent and Christmas Tide. The Old Testment and the Psalm prepare us for the Gospel Each week the gospel works around a particular theme. The Old Testament reading and the psalm are chosen to complement that theme. For example, on the Sunday that tells us the story of Jesus being challenged about his observance of the Sabbath the Old Testament reading is the passage from Deuteronomy where God establishes the holiness of the Sabbath Day. The psalm leads us in praise with a Sabbath hymn. In this way the Old Testament and psalm lead us into a full consideration of the meaning of the gospel itself. As the Old Testament and psalm are put together with the gospel we can see how the Old Testament prepares the way and points ahead to Christ. If we pay attention at Mass we will see that far from the Old Testament being irrelevant, the whole thing is an exciting prophecy of our Lord's life, ministry and passion. Reading from the whole Bible at Mass helps us to understand St Augustine's saying that 'the New Testament is concealed in the Old and the Old is made manifest in the New.'
For example, in the weeks from Advent to Epiphany one could focus on the Old Testament reading since that is the time of preparation for Christ's coming. Then from Epiphany to Easter one could follow the gospel readings and focus on the events of Christ's life and passion. From Easter to the feast of Corpus Christi we can focus on the psalm of the week, then during the summer months when we think about the church it is appropriate to focus on the epistles (the letters to the churches.) "We must read the Scriptures seated in the lap of our mother the Church" (Augustine) Reading the Scriptures in the context of the Mass reminds us that the primary revelation of God is in his son Jesus Christ. It also reminds us that the most direct, powerful and objective connection with Jesus Christ that we can have is through the ministry of the Church. As we read the Scriptures at Mass we connect with Jesus in a way that is impossible just by studying the Bible on our own. A good way to visualise this is to think of a child reading with his mother or father. Their reading is not a solitary occupation, but part of a family relationship. St. Augustine-whose godly mother helped him into the Church, put it this way: 'We must read the Scriptures seated in the lap of our Mother, the Church." Hearing the Word of God at Mass helps us to do exactly that.
Evangelisation Pure & Simple |
As
a teenager in the Evangelical Church I can remember an old preacher
introducing his long Bible sermon by saying, 'Let's break open the
bread of life-God's Word.' Now as a Catholic I'm used to thinking
of the bread of life as being the Eucharistic host. But Catholicism
is always both/and not either/or, and the Vatican II document on Divine
Revelation teaches us to revere the Word in the same way that we reverence
the Eucharist. It says, 'Just as the Church has always venerated the
Body of Christ, so she has always held in reverence the Sacred Scriptures;
for she never fails, more especially in the sacred liturgy, to receive
the bread of life, whether this comes from the table of the Word of
God or from that of Christ's Body and so to offer it to the faithful'. 
The
Old Testament, Psalm and gospel are read in isolated chunks, but the
compilers of the lectionary also considered it a good thing to hear
longer sections of the Scriptures read straight through. Therefore
the weekly readings from the epistles take us through a whole book
of the Bible step by step from beginning to end. The scripture passages
are chosen with great care and thought, but they are not simply a
clever way to read the Bible. The Church has selected and arranged
the readings in order for the Scriptures to do their proper work,
and that is to empower and illuminate our worship. Remember, the books
of the Old Testament were actually read within Jewish worship and
the books of the New Testament were continually read as part of the
worship of the early Church. Therefore the Church today realises that
the primary use of Scripture is as an invaluable resource for worship.
The Bible is not there simply as a text book, a rule book or a source
for proof texts. Instead the Bible is a living and dynamic part of
our worship. Therefore in order to hear the Scriptures in their fullness
we should have a missal and try to read the Mass readings before Mass
and study them through the week. Bible Alive, the Catholic daily devotional
magazine, helps us to do this. We can also study the Mass readings
in a more detailed way by focusing on one set of readings for a period
of time, then switch to another set.
