Sep 11 Thu
Why are there several readings in the Mass?
The Readings from Scripture are arranged in the following order:
• First Reading
• Responsorial Psalm
• Second Reading (only on Sundays and greater celebrations)
• Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia or another chant)
• Gospel
And after these come the:
• Homily
• Profession of Faith (Creed)
• General Intercessions (Prayer of the Faithful)
These elements develop the liturgy of the word, and with them, the first part of the Mass concludes.
In the readings from the Scripture, God speaks to his people. These readings are explained with the homily. Through the chants, the people make God’s word their own. Through the Profession of Faith, they affirm their adherence to it. Finally, having been nourished by this word, they make their petitions in the general intercessions for the needs of the Church and for the salvation of the whole world.
By following a plan of readings through the year, the treasures of the Bible become fully accessible to the faithful.
If we want to know why there are readings in the Mass, we would have to delve into the most ancient of Christian customs. In fact, we would have to go even beyond them to practices dear to the heart of devout Israel. The service of the Jewish synagogue had such readings from the Law and the Prophets. Have we not seen Jesus reading Isaiah to his fellow Jews? And did not St Paul, while on his missionary journeys, take part in similar readings?
The early Church faithfully preserved this custom. In bygone days, these readings had been chosen by the bishop, who also determined their number and length. When he thought that a lesson had lasted long enough, he stopped the reader by saying, “Deo gratias” (Thanks be to God). Other lessons followed until the bishop saw fit to end them.
At a fairly early date, however, the standard number of lessons was fixed at three: the first from the Old Testament, called “the prophecy;” the second from that part of the New Testament which contains the writings of the apostles (this was called “the apostle” or “the epistle”); and lastly, a reading from the Gospel.
As in other times when people sat around Jesus, we also sit down now to listen to him speaking through the prophets and the apostles. We choose this bodily position because it seems the most fitting for reflection. As good disciples of the Master, we want to listen with peace and serenity, imitating our Blessed Mother, pondering them in our hearts.
If we do our best, the Holy Spirit will give us enough capacity to grasp whatever we may need for our sanctification and mission in life. And even if what we have read does not stay in our memory, the word of God has purified and nourished our souls.
At the end of the reading, the reader reminds us that what we have just heard is God’s word. The people then answer, “Thanks be to God.”