The Third Sunday of Ordinary Time we mark the occasion of the Sunday of the Word of God which was instituted a few years ago, on September 30, 2019 by Pope Francis, our Supreme Pontiff with the purpose of rediscovering our love and zeal for the Lord through the deepening of our knowledge and understanding of the Sacred Scriptures. This observance aims to strengthen Catholics’ connection with Sacred Scripture and emphasize the living nature of God’s word in the Church’s life. The timing of the document is significant: September 30th is the Feast of Saint Jerome, the man who translated most of the Bible into Latin, and who famously said: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. St. Jerome died in his Bethlehem monastery in 420 and the year of the institution of the Sunday of the Word of God marked almost 1600 years since his death. It is important that we have to spend some time and effort to get to know more about the Word of God contained within the Scriptures and hence, that is why this Sunday in particular, let us all delve into what we have just heard from the Scripture readings and focus our attention on the truth that the Lord Himself has brought into our midst. “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45).
In a motu proprio entitled Aperuit Illis, the Holy Father, Pope Francis said that the annual date should be “devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God.” This is instituted because of the need for all of us as Christians to deepen our knowledge and understanding, appreciation and immersion in the Word of God found in the Scriptures. It was often said that Catholics do not have a good grasp, knowledge or understanding of the Scriptures, and hence, it is easy for us to be led astray by those who claimed to know the meaning of the Scriptures, and those who twisted and changed the meaning of the Word of God to satisfy their own aim and ambitions, their wicked and unholy purposes, drawing us away from the righteous and holy path of God. This is why we all need to deepen our knowledge and understanding of God’s Words in the Scriptures. How do we then know the Lord better through His Word? There are many things that we can do, but first of all, we must have with us, the Sacred Scriptures, all the Word of God and His revelations as compiled and written by those whom He had inspired, and which the Church and the Church fathers had authoritatively determined to be genuine and true, beneficial and truly the Word of God, as contained in the Holy Bible. Then, we should spend quality time to examine and explore the Word of God with proper guidance through the Church, and find good references that are now easily and readily available, from reliable and good sources that can help us understand and appreciate the meaning of the Scriptures and the Word of God much better. Nonetheless, unless we spend good amount of quality time to focus on the Lord and His Word, then it is unlikely that His Word will have good and firm roots in us.
Today, January 26th marks the 6th Sunday of the Word of God and the Vatican hosts the Jubilee for the World of Communication. The Holy Mass celebration concluded the three-day Jubilee of the World of Communications, which is the first part of the many individual events animating the Jubilee of Hope in 2025. The Holy Mass highlighted the theme for this year’s Sunday of the Word of God, “I Hope in Your Word,” drawn from Psalm 119. In his homily, the Pope reflected on the Gospel passage from Luke, in which Jesus reads the Scriptures at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. The celebration was particularly significant as it marked the convergence of the Word of God Sunday with the Jubilee for the World of Communication, emphasizing the Church’s commitment to both preserving and proclaiming the Gospel message in contemporary society. “Let us respond with ardor to the joyful announcement of Christ!” Pope Francis said, encouraging the faithful to bring “good news to the poor, proclaiming release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free and announcing the year of the Lord’s favor.”
According to Pope Francis, the Word of God brings us joy and light. During his homily, Pope Francis emphasized five key aspects of Christ’s mission that characterize the Gospel message. “The Gospel is a word of joy, summoning us to mutual acceptance and fellowship, as we make our pilgrim journey towards the Kingdom of God,” the pontiff declared. “The Word of God is alive: through the centuries it walks with us and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is at work in history,” Pope Francis said during his homily. “The Lord is always faithful to His promise, which He maintains out of love for humanity.” The Pope noted that while Christ’s salvation is not yet fully realized, as evidenced by ongoing global conflicts, “wars, injustice, pain and death will not have the final word over the peoples of the earth and our history: for the Gospel is a living and certain word that never disappoints.” The Pope closed by reminding the congregation that when Scripture is read, studied, and prayed with, “we do not simply receive information about God; rather, we welcome the Spirit who reminds us of all that Jesus said and did.” During the Holy Mass, the Pope conferred the ministry of Lector on 40 lay people. The newly installed lectors included representatives from Albania (4), Argentina (3), Austria (5), Bolivia (1), Brazil (4), Philippines (5), Iceland (1), Italy (6), Mexico (5), Poland (1), and Slovenia (5).
Sunday of the Word of God is observed on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday between January 21-27). Link – https://www.usccb.org/committees/divine-worship/sunday-word-god
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