The bond between Jesus Christ, his followers, and the sacred readings is imperative to our identities as Christians and Catholics. Therefore, it is essential to understand what the scriptures are trying to tell us. Pope Francis has thus issued the celebration what we know as “Sunday of the Word of God.”
Pope Francis says this celebration will focus us to “appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and His people.” By dedicating a special Sunday every year to focus on the Word, it allows us to experience the treasures that scriptures provide to us.
“Who is able to understand, Lord, all the richness of even one of your words? There is more that eludes us than we can understand. We are like the thirsty drinking from a foundation. Your word has as many aspects as the perspectives of those who study it. The Lord has coloured his word with diverse beauties, so that those who study it can contemplate what stirs them.”
-Commentary on the Diatessaron, 1:19
Sunday of the Word of God is celebrated annually on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. To coincide with the day, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared a series of videos, both in English and Spanish, by several Catholic biblical scholars. The videos will address the Bible’s authorship, the canon of Scripture, a Catholic approach to reading the Bible, the practice of Lectio Divina, and the synoptic Gospels. You can access the videos, along with discussion guides and suggestions for further reading here.
