Why is the book of Obadiah the only biblical book that is not read in Mass?

[Alma]

I read that at least a tiny part of every book in the Bible is read in the Liturgy of the Word during Mass, except the book of Obadiah.
Is this true?
And if it is, why is this the only biblical book left out?
Is it because Obdaiah only has 19 verses?

Thank you for your reply!


Alma

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

I don’t know that this is the case, but as I don’t have time to run through the entire Lectionary to see if Obadiah is there (or if other Books are not) I will accept this for the present. If this is so, I think you have suggested a quite reasonable answer; possibly there was not a passage within that short Book considered by the editors of the Lectionary to be better suited for the Liturgy than the other readings that were selected. BTW, my Bibles list 21 verses in the Book of Obadiah.

 

[Marie]

Alma:

I read that at least a tiny part of every book in the Bible is read in the Liturgy of the Word during Mass, except the book of Obadiah.
Is this true?
And if it is, why is this the only biblical book left out?
Is it because Obdaiah only has 19 verses?

Thank you for your reply!


Alma

Actually, there are no Lectionary Readings from the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Obadiah, and Nahum. Readings from the Apocrypha are not included.
Office of Divine Worship:

The omission of verses in readings from Scripture has at times been the tradition of many liturgies, including the Roman liturgy. Admittedly such omissions may not be made lightly, for fear of distorting the meaning of the text or the intent and style of Scripture. Yet on pastoral grounds it was decided to continue the traditional practice in the present Order of Readings, but at the same time to ensure that the essential meaning of the text remained intact. One reason for the decision is that otherwise some texts would have been unduly long. It would also have been necessary to omit completely certain readings of high spiritual value for the faithful because those readings include some verse that is pastorally less useful or that involves truly difficult questions.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

Marie:

… Readings from the Apocrypha are not included.

Actually, many are. The first reading for July 27 (year A, 16th Sunday in OT) was Wisdom 12:13, 16-19. The first reading for September 11 (year A, 24th Sunday in OT) will be Sirach 27:30-28:7. November 6 (year A, 32nd Sunday in OT) the first reading will be Wisdom 6:12-16. One of the options for the first reading on Thanksgiving Day in the United States (November 24) is Sirach 50:22-24.

Recent and soon upcoming weekday Masses have included first readings from Sirach (May 20 and others), Tobit (May 30 and others), Wisdom (September 17(optional) and others), and Baruch (September 30 and others). Throughout the entire cycle of the Lectionary there are many more selections from the Deuterocanonical Books.

 

[Marie]

Joseph Bilodeau:

Actually, many are. The first reading for July 27 (year A, 16th Sunday in OT) was Wisdom 12:13, 16-19. The first reading for September 11 (year A, 24th Sunday in OT) will be Sirach 27:30-28:7. November 6 (year A, 32nd Sunday in OT) the first reading will be Wisdom 6:12-16. One of the options for the first reading on Thanksgiving Day in the United States (November 24) is Sirach 50:22-24.

Recent and soon upcoming weekday Masses have included first readings from Sirach (May 20 and others), Tobit (May 30 and others), Wisdom (September 17(optional) and others), and Baruch (September 30 and others). Throughout the entire cycle of the Lectionary there are many more selections from the Deuterocanonical Books.

lol! There is a difference in the Catholic Lectionary…Deuterocaninical is one thing…Apocrypha a whole nother subject. I am using plain ole Catholic speak. Not to be confused with…other things. The ariticle and the word Apocrypha are the words direct from the very Looooooooong information from the office of Divine Liturgy website. So take it up with them.

 

[Marie]

Hopefully this will help clear up the difference…than again…probably not. Since it has been centuries of argument…

General Introduction to the Lectionary

we employ “deuterocanonical” to designate this literature, which non-Catholics conventionally and improperly know as the “Apocrypha”. (See CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.)

Daniel Baruch Tobit Judith Sirach Wisdom 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees

 

[Marie]

The Liturgy is designed to flow from the old testament to the new…seamlessly. That is the main reason Obadiah is not used. There is no way to use it with the New Testament or the Gospel. There are no scriptures in the New Testament which can refer back to it, nor from it to the Gospel reading of the day. The same with the others: 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nahum

First Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), are chosen to harmonize with the Gospel message indicating the unity and continuity of both Testaments.

 

[Alma]

Sorry to contradict you Marie, but 1 and 2 Crhonicles and Ezra and Nahum are actually read in Mass.

1Chronicles:
on August 15 and as a Psalm on Thursday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time (I am translating: ‘Tiempo Ordinario’, I do not know if it is called like that in English)…

2Chronicles:
on Saturday of the 11th week of Ordinary Time
on Sunday of the 4th week of Lent

Ezra:
on Monday of the 25 week of Ordinary Time
on Tuesday " "
on Wednesday " "

and Nahum:
On Friday of the 18 week of Ordinary Time

I have consulted this in the Daily Roman Missal. I checked each and every biblical book and the only one that is never read in Mass is Obadiah.

Maybe that is due to what you say, that the people that assembled the Lectionary couldn’t find something significative enough from this book.

Poor Obadiah…:crying:

Alma

 

[joshua1]

Marie:

Actually, there are no Lectionary Readings from the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Obadiah, and Nahum. Readings from the Apocrypha are not included.

I was studying the readings for the “vigil mass” of the assumption tonight, and the first reading is from chronicles. It talks about the ark of the covenant. While there are no apocryphal readings in the lectionary, there are readings from the deuterocanonical books of the Bible…

 

[Marie]

joshua1:

I was studying the readings for the “vigil mass” of the assumption tonight, and the first reading is from chronicles. It talks about the ark of the covenant. While there are no apocryphal readings in the lectionary, there are readings from the deuterocanonical books of the Bible…

Yes we discussed that. We are talking daily and Sunday mass if I am not mistaken. But thanks for pointing that out. They are read…just not in the cycle.

 

[flamingsword]

Marie

The Liturgy is designed to flow from the old testament to the new…seamlessly. That is the main reason Obadiah is not used. There is no way to use it with the New Testament or the Gospel. There are no scriptures in the New Testament which can refer back to it, nor from it to the Gospel reading of the day. The same with the others: 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nahum

First Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), are chosen to harmonize with the Gospel message indicating the unity and continuity of both Testaments.

Half right here. For Sunday Masses this is correct. For daily Masses the readings are chronological through books.

I also believe that Obadiah is present in the breviary. And I have heard that with the 4 volume breviary’s office of readings and daily Mass throughout the cycles, almost every part of the Bible is covered. Can someone confirm this?

 

[Marie]

flamingsword:

Marie

Half right here. For Sunday Masses this is correct. For daily Masses the readings are chronological through books.

I also believe that Obadiah is present in the breviary. And I have heard that with the 4 volume breviary’s office of readings and daily Mass throughout the cycles, almost every part of the Bible is covered. Can someone confirm this?

I believe you are correct…see above. Although I am not sure about the daily Mass reading. That might be correct also.

 

[Verbum]

Alma,

poor Obadiah

Well, let’s make up for it. The book blames Edom (Esau’s traditional land) because they seem to have helped in the attack on Jerusalem. It predicts that they will have a worse fate.

1

The vision of Obadiah. (Thus says the Lord GOD Of Edom we have heard a message from the LORD, and a herald has been sent among the nations: “Up! let us go to war against him!”

2 See, I make you small among the nations; you are held in dire contempt.

3 The pride of your heart has deceived you: you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose abode is in the heights, Who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to earth?”

4 Though you go as high as the eagle, and your nest be set among the stars, From there will I bring you down, says the LORD.

5 If thieves came to you, if robbers by night, how could you be thus destroyed: would they not steal merely till they had enough? If vintagers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings?

6 How they search Esau, seek out his hiding places!

7 To the border they drive you-- all your allies; They deceive you, they overpower you-- those at peace with you; Those who eat your bread lay snares beneath you: There is no understanding in him!

8 Shall I not, says the LORD, on that day make the wise men disappear from Edom, and understanding from the mount of Esau?

9 Your warriors, O Teman, shall be crushed, till all on Mount Esau are destroyed.

10 Because of violence to your brother Jacob, disgrace shall cover you and you shall be destroyed forever.

11 On the day when you stood by, on the day when aliens carried off his possessions, And strangers entered his gates and cast lots over Jerusalem, you too were one of them.

12 Gaze not upon the day of your brother, the day of his disaster; Exult not over the children of Judah on the day of their ruin; Speak not haughtily on the day of distress!

13 Enter not the gate of my people on the day of their calamity; Gaze not, you at least, upon his misfortune on the day of his calamity; Lay not hands upon his possessions on the day of his calamity!

14 Stand not at the crossroads to slay his refugees; Betray not his fugitives on the day of distress!

15 For near is the day of the LORD for all the nations! As you have done, so shall it be done to you, your deed shall come back upon your own head;

16 As you have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually. Yes, they shall drink and swallow, and shall become as though they had not been.

17 But on Mount Zion there shall be a portion saved; the mountain shall be holy, And the house of Jacob shall take possession of those that dispossessed them.

18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame; The house of Esau shall be stubble, and they shall set them ablaze and devour them; Then none shall survive of the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken.

19 They shall occupy the Negeb, the mount of Esau, and the foothills of the Philistines; And they shall occupy the lands of Ephraim and the lands of Samaria, and Benjamin shall occupy Gilead.

20 The captives of the host of the children of Israel shall occupy the Canaanite land as far as Zarephath, And the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall occupy the cities of the Negeb.

21 And saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to rule the mount of Esau, and the kingship shall be the LORD’S.

New American Bible
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000

November 11, 2002 Copyright © by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Verbum

 

[Alma]

Wow!!
Thank you Verbum! :tiphat:
I’m sure Obadiah never dreamed of being quoted like that on the internet! :whacky:

He must be feeling pretty happy now, thanks to your compassionate heart!

Alma

 

[Psalm45_9]

Joseph Bilodeau:

Actually, many are. The first reading for July 27 (year A, 16th Sunday in OT) was Wisdom 12:13, 16-19. The first reading for September 11 (year A, 24th Sunday in OT) will be Sirach 27:30-28:7. November 6 (year A, 32nd Sunday in OT) the first reading will be Wisdom 6:12-16. One of the options for the first reading on Thanksgiving Day in the United States (November 24) is Sirach 50:22-24.

Recent and soon upcoming weekday Masses have included first readings from Sirach (May 20 and others), Tobit (May 30 and others), Wisdom (September 17(optional) and others), and Baruch (September 30 and others). Throughout the entire cycle of the Lectionary there are many more selections from the Deuterocanonical Books.

As the Solemnity of Christ the King approaches, the daily mass readings this year will be from the Books of the Maccabees. (Starting in November.)

 

[Catholic_Dude]

This is an interesting thread. I have noticed in the past that the CCC doesnt even reference all the books of the Bible, but I had no idea that Obadiah was not mentioned in the Liturgical readings.

On one hand it is odd that though it is considered Scripture it isnt read, but on the otherhand so much of so many other books are not read at all. eg the long lists of names of people which is far longer than Obadiah.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

Marie:

…There is a difference in the Catholic Lectionary…Deuterocaninical is one thing…Apocrypha a whole nother subject. I am using plain ole Catholic speak…

So am I, but perhaps we are not speaking plainly enough.

“Apocrypha” and “Deuterocanonical” are both terms which have been used to describe the Old Testament Books of Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch, and parts of Daniel and Esther. I prefer the term Deuterocanonical as the term Apocrypha is often used in a pejorative sense. If you mean something else by “Apocrypha”, it would be helpful if you would define this term as you are using it.

 

[Marie]

Joseph Bilodeau:

So am I, but perhaps we are not speaking plainly enough.

“Apocrypha” and “Deuterocanonical” are both terms which have been used to describe the Old Testament Books of Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch, and parts of Daniel and Esther. I prefer the term Deuterocanonical as the term Apocrypha is often used in a pejorative sense. If you mean something else by “Apocrypha”, it would be helpful if you would define this term as you are using it.

I already did, post # 6. Obadiah is not read on Sunday and it is the Office of Divine Liturgy which uses that term. another post above.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

Marie:

I already did, post # 6…

Marie:

…we employ “deuterocanonical” to designate this literature, which non-Catholics conventionally and improperly know as the “Apocrypha”. (See CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.)

Daniel Baruch Tobit Judith Sirach Wisdom 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees

Very good. This establishes that by “Apocrypha” and “Deuterocanonical” we are refering to the same Old Testament Books. Your statement in post # 3, therefore:

Marie:

Actually, there are no Lectionary Readings from the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Obadiah, and Nahum. Readings from the Apocrypha are not included.

is not correct, as has been demonstrated.

 

[Marie]

Joseph Bilodeau:

Very good. This establishes that by “Apocrypha” and “Deuterocanonical” we are refering to the same Old Testament Books. Your statement in post # 3, therefore:

is not correct, as has been demonstrated.

ok! So did you tell the office of Divine Worship? I told you it was from their website.