Common lectionary

[Tommy999]

Background:
My wife and I had a recent conversation that went something like this. I’d like you to comment on her reply. It caught me a little off guard. We have both been Christians for many years.

Tommy: “One thing that impresses me about Catholicism is that no matter which local parish you go to, they will be reading the same Bible readings and using them as their text in their homily, so if we were Catholics on vacation we would essentially be receiving the same Bible texts and message no matter where we attended. That is a very united and impressive approach and pretty cool, don’t you think?”

Tommy’s lovely wife:
“Not necessarily. Different congregations are potentially at different places spiritually and the Holy Spirit may want Congregation A to hear something different than Congregation B, so if you force everyone to do the same thing, you may be artificially restricting the Holy Spirit from moving and reaching the other congregation at their point of need”.

How would you respond to this sort of logic?

 

[Gorgias]

A couple of thoughts:

• It’s not just a congregation that’ll be in “different places spiritually” – it’s more like each person in a congregation that’s in a different place, spiritually! So, if it’s good for a whole congregation (each in a “different spiritual place”) to hear one set of readings, why is it not good for a whole Church to hear one set of readings?
• If the Holy Spirit was the one who brought the particular Church into existence (i.e., on Pentecost day, it was the Holy Spirit who breathed the [Catholic] Church into existence), and through the Holy Spirit, that Church decided to create a universal lectionary, then why would we suggest that this Spirit-led lectionary restricts the Spirit?
• The lectionary that the Catholic Church uses – since the choice of readings isn’t the personal decision of a single pastor – ensures that a great portion of the Bible is proclaimed over time. In the case of a single pastor making the decision, it’s his favorite passages that get read, to the exclusion of much of the rest of the Bible. Doesn’t the “individual pastor” approach “restrict the Spirit” moreso than the Catholic Lectionary?

 

[sallybutler]

That is a great theory for a restaurant dinner, but not for a family dinner.

Plus the priests don’t all read the same sermon. They usually try to find meaning in the readings that will apply to their congregation.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

Just to throw this into the mix… The Revised Common Lectionary is also used (in the US) by:

Episcopalians
ECLA
LCMS
some Presbyterians
some United Methodists
United Church of Christ
Metropolitan Church
American Baptists

And those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I am certain there are many, many other churches that are reading the same texts each Sunday morning.

 

[Tommy999]

A couple of thoughts:

• It’s not just a congregation that’ll be in “different places spiritually” – it’s more like each person in a congregation that’s in a different place, spiritually! So, if it’s good for a whole congregation (each in a “different spiritual place”) to hear one set of readings, why is it not good for a whole Church to hear one set of readings?
• If the Holy Spirit was the one who brought the particular Church into existence (i.e., on Pentecost day, it was the Holy Spirit who breathed the [Catholic] Church into existence), and through the Holy Spirit, that Church decided to create a universal lectionary, then why would we suggest that this Spirit-led lectionary restricts the Spirit?
• The lectionary that the Catholic Church uses – since the choice of readings isn’t the personal decision of a single pastor – ensures that a great portion of the Bible is proclaimed over time. In the case of a single pastor making the decision, it’s his favorite passages that get read, to the exclusion of much of the rest of the Bible. Doesn’t the “individual pastor” approach “restrict the Spirit” moreso than the Catholic Lectionary?

Good points, Gorgias. I especially like the first point and will use it the next time the subject comes up with her. I also believe we all are at different places spiritually and levels of closeness to God at any given time.

I don’t think she would assent to your second point, though. She doesn’t think Catholics are any more special than any other Christian faith tradition, although I tend to look up to Catholicism as a mentor faith tradition.

On your third point, I understand what you are saying, but our senior pastor preaches from both the Old and New Testament equally and doesn’t preach from his favorite passages over and over. For example, his recent sermon for the July 4th weekend was based on Proverbs 14:34 about ‘What Makes a Nation Strong’ and before that were sermons from Psalm 23, another from Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and many others taken from the New Testament. I haven’t heard the same sermon yet in all the time I’ve attended there, although I’m sure there are some pastors in some local churches who tend to preach the same set of sermons over and over.

Thanks again. I especially can’t wait to use your first point the next time the subject arises.

 

[Tommy999]

That is a great theory for a restaurant dinner, but not for a family dinner.

Plus the priests don’t all read the same sermon. They usually try to find meaning in the readings that will apply to their congregation.

Hi Sally,
Yes, it makes sense that the priests would try to find meaning in the readings that would apply especially to their congregation and I’m sure that happens, although my wife would probably argue that their ability to do that with certain scriptural texts is limited.

For the record, I still see much value in having readings that the whole church uses every week. It speaks to unity of message and purpose and I put a lot of value in that.

 

[Tommy999]

Just to throw this into the mix… The Revised Common Lectionary is also used (in the US) by:

Episcopalians
ECLA
LCMS
some Presbyterians
some United Methodists
United Church of Christ
Metropolitan Church
American Baptists

And those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I am certain there are many, many other churches that are reading the same texts each Sunday morning.

Thanks. I didn’t realize so many others did that.

 

[Reuben_J]

Thanks for the kind thought on Catholicism.

Being one, as the Catholic Church professes, can be in many things. The same readings being read the same day in all the Catholic churches throughout the world, to me, give a nice sense that no matter where you are, you are doing the same thing and hearing the same word that day. If a Catholic is traveling out of town or in a foreign country, he can just slip in a Catholic church to attend a mass, it may be in Latin or Eskimo, and he is able to participate and know which reading is being read which he should meditate on earlier before he comes to the mass.

As for the preaching/homily, from my experience, the word is alive and speaks to you in many different ways according to the situation and state that you are in.

The same passages of the Bible can be read again and again in many different times and yet still be able to address your present need and situation. I have done that over the years as I meditate on the reading each day, and it never fail to inspire me as the word alive to me that day.

I think that is what it does to the priest when he celebrates the mass when he breaks the word. Like it is new every morning, the word speaks to the hearts.

 

[Tommy999]

Thanks for the kind thought on Catholicism.

Being one, as the Catholic Church professes, can be in many things. The same readings being read the same day in all the Catholic churches throughout the world, to me, give a nice sense that no matter where you are, you are doing the same thing and hearing the same word that day. If a Catholic is traveling out of town or in a foreign country, he can just slip in a Catholic church to attend a mass, it may be in Latin or Eskimo, and he is able to participate and know which reading is being read which he should meditate on earlier before he comes to the mass.

As for the preaching/homily, from my experience, the word is alive and speaks to you in many different ways according to the situation and state that you are in.

The same passages of the Bible can be read again and again in many different times and yet still be able to address your present need and situation. I have done that over the years as I meditate on the reading each day, and it never fail to inspire me as the word alive to me that day.

I think that is what it does to the priest when he celebrates the mass when he breaks the word. Like it is new every morning, the word speaks to the hearts.

Very thoughtful post, Reuben. The Word of God does speak to each of us where we are at and to our hearts. May the Lord continue to lead and guide you as you follow Him.

 

[powerofk]

A couple of thoughts:

• It’s not just a congregation that’ll be in “different places spiritually” – it’s more like each person in a congregation that’s in a different place, spiritually! So, if it’s good for a whole congregation (each in a “different spiritual place”) to hear one set of readings, why is it not good for a whole Church to hear one set of readings?
• If the Holy Spirit was the one who brought the particular Church into existence (i.e., on Pentecost day, it was the Holy Spirit who breathed the [Catholic] Church into existence), and through the Holy Spirit, that Church decided to create a universal lectionary, then why would we suggest that this Spirit-led lectionary restricts the Spirit?
• The lectionary that the Catholic Church uses – since the choice of readings isn’t the personal decision of a single pastor – ensures that a great portion of the Bible is proclaimed over time. In the case of a single pastor making the decision, it’s his favorite passages that get read, to the exclusion of much of the rest of the Bible. Doesn’t the “individual pastor” approach “restrict the Spirit” moreso than the Catholic Lectionary?

That is a great theory for a restaurant dinner, but not for a family dinner.

Plus the priests don’t all read the same sermon. They usually try to find meaning in the readings that will apply to their congregation.

Both of these. Part of the purpose of the homily is to take the scripture readings (especially the Gospel) and make them pertinent to the current needs of the congregation. Secondly, the reason for the cycles is to gasp learn about Jesus! If Jesus is not only our Savior but also our greatest example, our focus should be on Him. During Sundays of Ordinary Time, the OT reading is chosen to match the gospel, to show that everything that Jesus said and did was foreshadowed. The epistles are exhortations on Christian living. So, our readings are OT gospel foreshadowing, NT epistle, gospel. These are followed by the homily which makes them pertinent to today. The seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter diverge from this, of course, with their readings being focused on the specifics of the season (Advent - waiting for the coming of the Messiah; Christmas - the Messiah is born, then revealed to the world; Lent - penitence & preparation for the Easter sacraments; Easter - the resurrection, the early Church, and the Kingdom of Heaven)

As a side note, Catholics are only required to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (which are the Solemnities declared obligatory in your local diocese; most bishops in a country, though, generally agree on which Solemnities will be obligatory in the country). There are 13 weekday solemnities that I can think of from the top of my head (Jan 1 - Mary, Mother of God; Jan 6 - Epiphany; Feb 2 - Presentation of the Lord; March 19 - St. Joseph; March 25 - Annunciation of the Lord; 6th Thursday after Easter - Ascension of the Lord; 2nd Thursday after Pentecost - Corpus Christi; June 24 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist; June 29 - Ss. Peter & Paul; August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; November 1 - All Saints; December 8 - Immaculate Conception of Mary; and December 25 - Christmas). These 13 are in addition to the two great Sunday Solemnities of Easter and Pentecost. In the US, though, Epiphany is moved to the Sunday after Jan. 1, Corpus Christi is moved to the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, and in some dioceses (but not all), the Ascension is moved to the 7th Sunday of Eastertide. Of the other solemnities, only Jan. 1, Ascension (if not moved), Aug. 15, Nov. 1, Dec. 8, and Dec. 25 are obligatory in the US. In addition, if Jan. 1, Aug. 15, and Nov. 1 fall on a Monday or Saturday, the obligation is removed.

But I digress. Other than the aforementioned Holy Days of Obligation and Sundays, Catholics are not required to attend Mass, but Mass is offered every single day of the year except for the time that falls from after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday night/Eve of Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night/Eve of Easter. And there are readings specific to every single day of the year! Weekday Masses only have 2 readings - during Ordinary Time, the OT readings follow a 2-year cycle through salvation history, while the gospels for weekday masses are the same every year.

 

[ChadS]

There seems to be a little bit of confusion here. The Revised Common Lectionary used by many non-Catholic groups in the U.S. is based on the Catholic lectionary, however it is not the same. So one week where Catholics hear a reading from Sirach the Methodists and Episcopalians are most likely not going to hear that reading.

Catholics are also on the same reading cycle universally, so on all Sundays, unless there are legitimately prescribed options, all Catholics will hear the same readings. However, a Methodist minister is free to use the Common Lectionary, substituting or adding different readings as they see fit. I know some pastors may have a sermon series on forgiveness and want to use a specific set of readings that may not occur during the weeks they have planned for the sermon series. Then, they will probably substitute their own readings for that week, of course this probably depends on their particular congregations rules as to how strictly they adhere to the lectionary.

ChadS

 

[gus]

Just to throw this into the mix… The Revised Common Lectionary is also used (in the US) by:

Episcopalians
ECLA
LCMS
some Presbyterians
some United Methodists
United Church of Christ
Metropolitan Church
American Baptists

And those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I am certain there are many, many other churches that are reading the same texts each Sunday morning.

I attended a Congressional baptism that turned out to be a Sunday Servive and the readings were the same as the Catholic reading. I attended Saturday Vigil Mass.
The minister actually only read one even though they were in the program
It was during advent and they actually had a candle
Old John Calvin couldn’t have been to happy with these Puritans.

 

[GKC]

There seems to be a little bit of confusion here. The Revised Common Lectionary used by many non-Catholic groups in the U.S. is based on the Catholic lectionary, however it is not the same. So one week where Catholics hear a reading from Sirach the Methodists and Episcopalians are most likely not going to hear that reading.

Catholics are also on the same reading cycle universally, so on all Sundays, unless there are legitimately prescribed options, all Catholics will hear the same readings. However, a Methodist minister is free to use the Common Lectionary, substituting or adding different readings as they see fit. I know some pastors may have a sermon series on forgiveness and want to use a specific set of readings that may not occur during the weeks they have planned for the sermon series. Then, they will probably substitute their own readings for that week, of course this probably depends on their particular congregations rules as to how strictly they adhere to the lectionary.

ChadS

Anglicans might, though, be hearing other Deuteros. Those who use the 1943 Lectionary, as found in the 1928 BCP, certainly do.