The Liturgy of the Word - Part 8
Part eight of a series I'm writing for inclusion in the weekly Parish Bulletin for the Catholic Parishes of Dungog & Gresford - this is the last part of the series
This eight-part series was originally published on the original The Doohan Discourse across May and June 2023.
Having looked at the various elements that constitute the Liturgy of the Word, this week’s column—the final column—is more of a summary of what’s already been written, though there may be a few new insights as well.
The Importance of the Word
One of the significant fruits of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council is a stronger focus on the place of readings from Scripture during all of our liturgical celebrations, especially during Mass.
Not only do we now have readings from a wider range of the Scriptures, but we also recognise that the Liturgy of the Word feeds us from the first table that we attend during the celebration of Mass.
All of the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church now features this important element known as the Liturgy of the Word—and we are richer for it.
Structure
The overall structure of the Liturgy of the Word is as follows:
Silence
First Reading
Silence
Responsorial Psalm
Second Reading
Silence
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel Reading
Homily
Silence
The Creed (or Symbol of Faith)
The Universal Prayer
The Significance of Silence
As can be seen from the overall structure, periods of silence play an important role in the Liturgy of the Word. Silence gives us the opportunity to truly savour what we have heard proclaimed, to reflect on God speaking to us through the Scriptures.
Silence also allows us to avoid “undue haste” so that the whole of the Liturgy of the Word is an opportunity for prayer and being nourished rather than something that needs to be done before we move on to the next part of our Mass or liturgy.
How long should these silences last? That will always depend on the particular circumstances of each liturgy, so it’s hard to provide a definitive answer to that question. What is appropriate one Sunday in one place might be different to what is appropriate the next Sunday or on the same Sunday in a different place.
The Ritual Nature of the Liturgy of the Word
Like all elements of the Church’s liturgy, the Liturgy of the Word is ritual in nature and therefore requires us to honour that nature. The words we use to introduce and conclude the various readings from Scripture are fixed in the Lectionary and are to be followed so that we keep to the ritual nature of not only the proclamation of Scripture but of the liturgy itself.
This also means that personal preferences or leanings need to be avoided so that we celebrate the liturgy of the Church as it has been handed to us (significantly, this is one of the promises made by priests at their ordination). We do not have the option of changing things just because we don’t like them.
The Proclamation of Scripture
While we refer to the various passages from Scripture that are used during the Liturgy of the Word as “readings”, we don’t read the Scriptures during the liturgy. Scripture passages are proclaimed, which is a completely different approach to reading.
The proclamation of Scripture is a ritual action—words are spoken, and words are heard. This means that during the Liturgy of the Word, we need to listen and hear what is being proclaimed, an act that brings into question the use of personal missals during the Liturgy of the Word for anyone other than those hard of hearing (another question for another time!).
Proclamation also requires advance preparation, which will also be a preferred option to being asked to “do the readings” five minutes before Mass commences. While that happens from time to time from necessity, it will always be better for those who will proclaim the readings from Scripture to know in advance so they can prayerfully prepare to exercise this important ministry.
So What’s Next?
Well, nothing, really. The plan will be to collate all eight parts that have appeared in the Bulletin into a booklet that will be available both on the website and in our churches. That little project will take place over the coming weeks—so watch for an announcement in the Bulletin.
After that, if local communities would like to review the way in which they celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, we can arrange for meetings and workshops to take place. Together we can determine best practice based on what is said in the Missal’s General Instruction and move forward with celebrating the Liturgy of the Word in a prayerful and meaningful manner.
Fine!