Happy Word of God Sunday! This is a great day to rejoice in the fact that we have one of the greatest guides in all of time to help us, rejuvenate us, remind us to become who God has made us to be—the Word of God!
In a document called The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, the Synod of Bishops in 2008 wrote on how we are called to bring the Word of God into the world. Here are a few paragraphs from it now….
The Task of the Laity: in exercising their mission in the world, the laity have the responsibility to proclaim the Good News to mankind in the everyday circumstances of their lives. In the prophetic style of Jesus of Nazareth, the proclamation of the Word of God "ought to appear to each person as a solution to his problems, an answer to his questioning, a widening of his values and an overall fulfilment to his aspirations"…
On their journey of encountering the Word of God, the lay faithful ought not to be passive listeners but active participants in every area touched by the Bible: in higher studies, in the service of the Word in the liturgy and catechetics and in leadership in various Bible groups…
A privileged means of encounter with the God who speaks is catechesis within families which can be enhanced with the Bible passages and preparation of the readings of the Sunday liturgy. The family’s task is to introduce children to Sacred Scripture through reading the great stories of the Bible, especially the life of Jesus, and through prayer inspired by the Psalms or other pertinent books.
How awesome would it be if you spent time with the Sunday readings with your family before Mass each week? You would be prepared. Your children and grandchildren would be prepared. What a gift that would be. In the 2nd reading, St. Paul reminds us that “time is running out.” With the time we have been given, let’s enter deeper into the mission of proclaiming God’s Word by entering deeper into God’s Word NOW!
May God bless you in this mission,
Fr. Jeremy
