Jeremiah 26: 1-7; Proverbs 8: 32-34; THE MASS PDF Link
During the Liturgy of the Word, we listen to two readings, the responsorial psalm and the Gospel. During those two readings we hear stories about biblical characters and about different times, we hear stories about Jesus and miracles and things that He did.
We need to remember that this is where we are called to truly listen, these are examples that are being given of how we are called to live our lives. I am a teacher and everyday I teach a lesson, give a few examples and then have the kids do it on their own. Instead of making us learn a lesson from mistakes we can and will make, God is giving us the directions and examples so that we can learn from those that came before us.
We are given two readings because the first comes from the Old Testament which, stated in the studies before, is the covenant between Abraham and God; and the covenant that was made for our salvation that we are to keep as well. When we hear these reading from the Old Testament it is a reminder to us of the pact that we are keeping with God, it is a reminder of what was coming in the New Testament and what was happening for our Salvation.
The Second reading comes from the New Testament which we know fulfills the Old Testament. This is where we see a lot of the stories of Jesus and his works, and this is where we find the Gospels as well. The New Testament offer us reflections of the life and message of Christ.
But, this is where we need to check and ensure that we are living up to the covenant that was established for us and our Salvation. We need to see every Sunday as an accountability partner, a way of making sure we live up to the expectations that God has for us. One of the best ways to understand the readings and get the most out of the readings is to listen. Listening is one of the hardest things to do because while we are trying to ‘listen’ we are trying to think of ten million other things. But that's why the missals are provided in the pews so that we can read the readings before mass in order to better listen to what is being said during each reading. We are to listen to those readings as if Christ is the one standing in the pulpit proclaiming them. After all it is God who is speaking through the Lector at that time.
Download our HOMWF "Books of the Bible" PDF for your Mass Journal! It's a great reference of all the books of the bible, in their order, & type of book too. Click the image to open or find it on our Downloads & Resources page.
How is God speaking to you in this post or today's reading? Enter a comment below or click HERE if you are reading from your phone. (Commenting is optional, but always grace-filled.) Thank you for letting us into your life and for being a part of ours!
