Today's second reading question

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Just curious about the verses that are left out of today’s second reading at Mass.
The reading was: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11.

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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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The text of Colossians 3 from the USCCB website:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3

Colossians, chapter 3
Mystical Death and Resurrection.
1If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Renunciation of Vice.
5Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.
6Because of these the wrath of God is coming [upon the disobedient].
7By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
8But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
9Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

So, just curious, why were verse 6-8 left out? Were they too repetitive? Are they not in all the ancient manuscripts? Would they make the reading too long?
Anyone with insight into this - - I am not really that knowledgeable about the lectionary.
 
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I’m surprised. I’m from Poland. Went to Mass, and everything was read. More - the priest actually repeated verse 8 in the homily.
 
I wonder if this is why I never heard a word about sin and hell at my OF parish. I always thought it weird and unfortunate they ignored these very crucial matters.
 
On September 11, the Wednesday of the 23rd week in Ordinary Time, the first reading will be Colossians 3, 1-11, including the three verses that were omitted in today’s reading. Curiouser and curiouser.

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Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

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“That section” - - verses 6-8? Yes, they are “snipped” for some reason. I am just wondering why the USCCB snip the readings (in general, and in this example in particular), or as BatholomewB noted, they are included in a different reading, but not on a Sunday.
 
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I looked up readings in Polish online. The verses were indeed omitted. If so, perhaps I was mistaken, and apologize for the confusion. It seems the priest repeated verse 5, when there’s enumeration too, but not the same.
He did not talk about the wrath of God though - I mean, that wasn’t read. Sorry, I jumped to conclusion based on remembering the enumeration.
 
Well, y’know daily Mass goers are hard core and can handle that hell fire talk 😃

I personally wonder why the same readings are often in the Lectionary for multiple dates, myself. Especially when it’s not the Gospel.
 
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It’s “pastoral” reasons. Most modern men can’t handle too many reminders of the wrath of God, or so the theory goes. It would require too much catechesis (God forbid catechesis is given). They are generally left in for daily Mass where the devout are more able to handle them (again, allegedly).
 
I’ll go on record saying I think this is ridiculous. If a person can’t handle a little talk of God’s wrath then they are going to need serious help should they ever read the OT.
 
I’m just going home from evening mass in Switzerland, and the same verses are omitted from the lectionary.
 
It could just be a question of emphasis, right?
For whatever reason, today lectionary-compilers didn’t want to mention the wrath of God? It’s not like it’s hidden truly, just not emphasized?

Silly question - - who compiles the Lectionary? The Holy See? A committee of some sort? Is it revised periodically?
 
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Not to mess up again, I asked my husband a minute ago and - in our parish both priests talk about Hell, Satan etc. I heard some strong statements too, and surprising (because so rare, but still they exist). What I miss in particular in homilies here, meaning right now, is stronger and more decided opposition to LGBT revolution. Because it intensified a few months ago, to such an extent, that many people who thought “it won’t come to us” are simply shocked.
I expected and still wait for more on the subject from priests, so that people would have a very clear message - this is wrong!
However, at least people are doing that online (priests included) - but you know as it is - YouTube is then soon blocking the content and/or channels. One internet tv here was twice reported by lefties, because they commented on pride parades. Add brutal attacks on priests and profanations of the Holy Images or the Blessed Sacrament, things are getting hot here… And that should be reflected in the homilies, imho.
 
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I don’t know if that’s the reason for omitting verses in a parish setting, but I was told by a monk that his monastic community chooses to remove “offensive” verses from psalms (ps 136,8-9 for example) on the off chance that someone who knows nothing about Christ attends the office, so that it is not their first contact with Christian faith…
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
Just curious about the verses that are left out of today’s second reading at Mass.
The reading was: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080419.cfm

The text of Colossians 3 from the USCCB website:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3

Colossians, chapter 3
Mystical Death and Resurrection.
1If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Renunciation of Vice.
5Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.
6Because of these the wrath of God is coming [upon the disobedient].
7By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
8But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
9Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

So, just curious, why were verse 6-8 left out? Were they too repetitive? Are they not in all the ancient manuscripts? Would they make the reading too long?
Anyone with insight into this - - I am not really that knowledgeable about the lectionary.
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Just guessing, but I think those verses were left out because they don’t follow the theme that our life is fleeting so we should focus on the heavenly.

The first reading, vanity of vanities. In other words, all that we do in life is in vain.
The Psalm, dust to dust.
Second reading. Put to death the earthly, seek what is above.
Gospel reading. "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
Silly question - - who compiles the Lectionary? The Holy See? A committee of some sort? Is it revised periodically?
Click to expand...
The readings seem to be the same the whole world over, so I suppose it must be centralized in the Holy See, at the CDW, I would imagine. As for revisions, it depends what you mean by “periodically”. Fr. Felix Just’s website lists a few changes that were made from time to time in the twentieth century (in the footnotes):
http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Statistics.htm
 
Ordo Lectionum Missae, editio typica was issued by the CDW (or equivalent Vatican agency) in 1969, with a revised edition appearing in 1981. The “revised” is mostly additions, ie readings for Saints days, and fixing numbering of the Psalms. This is the basis for all Catholic lectionaries, and it was used by several Protestant groups ro develop their lectionaries, currently the Revised Common Lectionary.

The 1981 edition includes an introduction that explains a lot of what went into selection and arrangement of readings. It includes very little on why verses might get dropped beyond length concerns.

So the decision was made in the 60s to leave out Col 3:6-8, probably to shorten and keep a more focussed reading? RCL put them back, so most protestants hear Col 3:1-11.
 
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Our lectionary reading for this week included the entire passage.
 
Shelion said:
Not to mess up again, I asked my husband a minute ago and - in our parish both priests talk about Hell, Satan etc. I heard some strong statements too, and surprising (because so rare, but still they exist). What I miss in particular in homilies here, meaning right now, is stronger and more decided opposition to LGBT revolution. Because it intensified a few months ago, to such an extent, that many people who thought “it won’t come to us” are simply shocked.
I expected and still wait for more on the subject from priests, so that people would have a very clear message - this is wrong!
However, at least people are doing that online (priests included) - but you know as it is - YouTube is then soon blocking the content and/or channels. One internet tv here was twice reported by lefties, because they commented on pride parades. Add brutal attacks on priests and profanations of the Holy Images or the Blessed Sacrament, things are getting hot here… And that should be reflected in the homilies, imho.
Click to expand...
The “not going to happen to us” is what is happening to all of us in Eastern Europe. The NGO-s have full support from a lot of media and EU legislation. To speak against LGBTQ is not legal in EU.
The Church is being censored and pays fines every time a priest talks “on the edge” about these issues (being wrong) on national media (TV, radio). The reason why not all media is being taxed is because the NGO-s want to also convince people on their agenda and they are careful not to make a martyr out of anyone (priest or lay) who speaks against them.
There are many reporters who support LGBTQ and they go Liturgies and religious travelling on purpose to catch priests saying “medieval stuff”, publish it online and let the fire spread. Some priests talk openly about it, they insist that is impossible to ask from the Church to teach anything else except what the Bible says, they face backlash and are harassed on the internet.
I don’t expect any priest to just go and risk it but I deeply respect those who do it anyway.
Probably the bishops advised the priests to speak about it sparingly.
Strictly speaking the homily is about the readings of the day, so we can’t accuse priests who don’t preach against them of doing anything wrong. I understand them. Also in EO some have families, children, it’s not easy to just be the bad guy when the other party is colorful and popular and speaks in great terms such as “love, liberty, tolerance, progress” but is very aggressive when they can be.
 
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