Frequently Asked Questions
What
is the Lectionary?
How is the Lectionary arranged?
Who decides on the readings?
When did we get our current Lectionary
in the USA?
Can we still use all these
translations?
Why was it revised?
What's different about this
revision?
When did we begin to use this
revised Lectionary?
Why is what I hear different from
what I read?
Why don’t we get new hymnals with the
revised readings?
Why do we use the Year A readings every year
on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent?
What is the Lectionary?
The Lectionary is the collection of readings from the
Bible used at Mass. It includes Old Testament readings, responsorial psalms, New Testament
readings and the Gospel readings assigned for each Mass of the year (Sundays, weekdays,
and special occasions). Readings are divided by day or theme (baptism, marriage,
vocations, etc.) rather than according to books of the Bible. Not all the Bible is
included in the Lectionary.
How is the
Lectionary arranged?
The Lectionary is arranged in two cycles, one for Sundays
and one for weekdays.
The Sunday cycle is divided into Year A (mostly the Gospel
of Matthew), Year B (from Mark and chapter 6 of the Gospel of John), and Year C (from
Luke). The Gospel of John is read in the Easter season of all three years. The Gospel is
the "control" reading, with the first reading, usually from the Old Testament,
reflecting important themes from the Gospel. During the Easter season, the first reading
is from the Acts of the Apostles. The second reading is usually from one of the letters
(epistles) of the apostles written to the early church community. These letters are read
semi-continuously. Each Sunday, the second reading picks up where it left off the Sunday
before, though some passages are never read. During Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter,
the second reading reflects concerns of the season.
The weekday cycle is divided into two years, Year I (read
in odd-numbered years) and Year II (read in even-numbered years). The Gospels for both
years are the same. During the year, the Gospels are read semi-continuously, beginning
with Mark, and then moving to Matthew and Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the
Easter season. For Advent, Christmas, and Lent, readings are chosen that are appropriate
to the season. The first readings on weekdays may be taken from the Old or the New
Testament. Generally, a single book is read semi-continuously until it is finished and
then a new book is started. There is generally only one reading before the Gospel on
weekdays.
There are options for weekday readings for the feasts of
saints or for special needs, and other readings may be substituted for a serious pastoral
reason.
The cycle does not change on January 1, but on the First
Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year. Liturgical year 2000 runs from
November 28, 1999, through December 2, 2000. In liturgical year 2000 Year B Sunday
readings are proclaimed and Year II weekday readings.
Who decides on the
readings in the Lectionary?
An international commission sponsored by the Holy See
arranged our current Lectionary. On April 3, 1969, the Lectionary (in Latin) was published
following the Directives of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican Council II
and approved by Pope Paul VI.
When did
we get our current Lectionary in the USA?
On November 29, 1971, the first English version of the
American Lectionary was published, using the New American Bible translation, first
commissioned by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in 1944. The 1970 edition of the
New American Bible was used. At the same time, permission was given to read from the
Jerusalem Bible or the Revised Standard Version.
Can we
still use all these translations?
With the mandated revised Lectionary, in the United States
we use only the New American Bible translation. The only exception is the special
Lectionary for Masses with Children, based on the Contemporary English Version of the
Bible.
Why was our
Lectionary revised?
On January 21, 1981, the Sacred Congregation of the
Sacraments in Rome published a revised Latin Lectionary, approved by Pope John Paul II.
There were some changes, and added readings for Masses not covered in the first edition of
the Lectionary. It was mandated that this Lectionary be adopted for use, with local
changes approved by Rome, throughout the Latin Rite churches.
On October 6, 1997, the Roman Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed the order of the readings for
volume I (Sundays and solemnities) in the proposed American Lectionary. On June 19, 1998,
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the Second Edition of the Lectionary
for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States and sent volume II (weekdays and
special Masses) to Rome for confirmation.
What's
different about this revised Lectionary?
The Second Edition of our American Lectionary employs the
1986 edition of the Revised New Testament of the New American Bible and the 1970 edition
of the Old Testament, including the psalms of the New American Bible with certain changes.
Some language changes were made for increased precision or for greater ease in
proclamation, for example, "a smoking brazier" was changed to "a smoking
fire pot." There are also returns to traditional diction, for example,
"astrologers" has changed back to "Magi," and "I solemnly assure
you" is once again "Amen, Amen, I say to you."
In cases where the original language of the scriptures was
not gender specific, certain words and phrases (such as "whoever" and
"anyone") were used to achieve greater inclusivity, but maximum fidelity to
biblical texts was a fundamental criterion used in preparing the revised edition of the
Lectionary. The revised Lectionary never changes the biblical text in order to make it
more inclusive.
There is a new, extensive theological introduction to the
Lectionary. New Masses have been added. Pentecost, Holy Family, the Baptism of the Lord
and the Ascension now have a full set of readings for years A, B, C, which they did not
have in the old edition.
When
did we begin to use this revised Lectionary?
Volume I of the revised Lectionary for Mass, with readings
for Sundays and Solemnities, was first used on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29,
1998. Volume II, with readings for weekdays and other Masses, is waiting approval in Rome.
After approval is received, the American bishops will set a date for the use of Volume II
in our parishes. Saint Jude Church began to use Volume I, the revised Sunday Lectionary,
at the beginning of Advent, 1998. You may have noticed the new, beautifully bound book the
lectors use.
I
follow the readings in the Worship hymnal during Mass. Why is what I hear different
from what I read?
The Old Testament readings in the Lectionary and in our
hymnal are the same, with only minor differences here and there. That is because Worship
was published and put into use in our pews when the old Lectionary was still in use.
You may have noticed that the New Testament readings and
Gospels use different words and phrases. That is because we are hearing the readings from
the revised Lectionary while the older version is in our hymnal.
Why don’t
we get new hymnals with the revised readings?
The Worship hymnal is now available with the revised
readings. However, to invest the money needed to replace all our hymnals, most of which
are in excellent condition, would be questionable stewardship. It’s also important to
understand that the current revised Lectionary that we hear read at Mass was mandated by
our bishops on a five-year trial basis. It is possible that there will be further changes
in 2003 or after. Our hymnals, when handled correctly, can last ten to fifteen years. We
can hardly justify spending the thousands of dollars it would cost to replace good hymnals
that might change again in just a few years.
Why do we use
the Year A readings every year on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent?
On the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, we hear
the readings from Year A, because we have catechumens in our midst. The Year A readings
for those Sundays prepare our catechumens for baptism, and prepare the baptized to renew
their baptismal promises. These readings include the premier Gospels of baptism and of
Lenten renewal – Jesus meeting the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well; Jesus
healing the man born blind; Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The Lectionary specifies
that these readings be proclaimed in parishes with catechumens, no matter the year. It
also allows these crucial readings to be proclaimed every year in every parish, even if
there are no catechumens.
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