catholic church readings

Does anyone know how the readings in a Roman Catholic Church are organized, e.g. how do the Priests know what to read in certain days, and how are they laid out during the mass ?

THE LITURGICAL YEAR/CALENDAR
5. The Liturgical Calendar begins every year during the month of November on the First Sunday of Advent and runs through to the Solemnity of Christ the King.

6. The liturgical year is the temporal structure within which the Church celebrates the holy mysteries of Christ: "From the Incarnation and the Nativity to the Ascension, to Pentecost and to the wait in joyful hope for the Lord's coming".

7. "During the liturgical year, 'the celebration of the Paschal Mystery [...] is the most privileged moment in the daily, weekly and annual celebration of Christian worship'. Consequently, the priority of the Liturgical year over any other devotional form or practice must be regarded as a touch stone for the relationship between Liturgy and popular piety." (# 94, Directory of Popular Piety and the Liturgy; Principles and Guidelines; Vatican City, December, 2001)

8. The Liturgical Calendar is a tool that kindles the hearts of Catholics so that they will remember God’s marvellous plan of salvation that was accomplished through the birth, life, death and rising of Christ Who once again walks the earth in our time and presence.


THE LITURGICAL CYCLES
9. The "Lectionary," the Mass readings from the Holy Bible, follows a Sunday cycle and a weekday cycle. The Liturgical Calendar follows a three year cycle, each year being represented by the letters, A, B and C.

10. During the year A cycle, the Gospel of Matthew is the primary Gospel that is used for the readings. In year B, Mark is the primary Gospel. In year C Luke is the primary Gospel. The Gospel of John is proclaimed on particular Sundays in each of the years.

11. On weekdays in Ordinary Time, there is a 2 year cycle numbered I and II. Year I is read in odd number years such as 2005, 2007, 2009. Year II is read in even years such as 2006, 2008, 2010.

12. It should be noted that if a person attends the Holy Mass everyday for 3 years, having been present for all the readings of the 3 cycles, most of the Holy Bible will have been read to him during that time frame.


THE SEASONS OF THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR
13. In each cycle of the Liturgical Calendar, you will find six Seasons:



(1) Advent,
(2) Christmas,
(3) Lent,
(4) Triduum,
(5) Easter, and
(6) Ordinary Time.

14. During the year, in addition to the Sunday worship, the Church also celebrates Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials which may be on any day of the week. These occur during the year to commemorate special events or persons that are highly revered by the Catholic Church.

THE UNIVERSAL LITURGICAL CALENDAR
15. The entire Church is required to follow the approved Universal Liturgical Calendar. The Universal Calendar originated from the Congregation of the Liturgy at the Vatican. It contains monthly guides that must be followed by all the faithful.

2008-11-18 10:51:38 by JessRichy.xTH.Lover

This is Part Three - Christmas Eve Mass - Readings from the Gospel - St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Hershey, PA.

So originally I was planning with my fiancé to not have any readings at my wedding in a Catholic church, but after some thought I think I may want to have some! I don't want the readings to be too religious, I'd like them to focus more on our love and about our bond. I don't want readings that everyone has heard a million times either. Any suggestions?

Suggested readings:

First Reading - Old Testament
• Genesis 2:18-24
• Songs of Songs 2:8-10, 13b-14, 16; 8:6-7
• Sirach 26:1-4; 13-16
• Genesis 1:26-28,31a (The Creation of Man and Woman)
• Genesis 24:48-51,58-67 (The Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah)
• Tobit 7:9c10,11c-17 (The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah)
• Tobit 8:4-9 (Prayer of the New Spouses)
• Jeremiah 31:31-32a,33-34a (The New Covenant of the People of God)

Responsorial Psalms
• Psalm 34
• Psalm 103
• Psalm 128
• Psalm 33 (The Lord is our help and shield; our hearts rejoice in Him)
• Psalm 34 (The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them)
• Psalm 46 (God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble)
• Psalm 103 (As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him)
• Psalm 112 (Happy the man who fears the Lord)
• Psalm 121 (My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth)
• Psalm 127 (Children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward)
• Psalm 128 (Happiness and prosperity will be yours)
• Psalm 145 (The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth)

Second Reading - Epistle
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
• Colossians 3:12-17
• 1 John 4:7-12
• Romans 8:31b-35,37-39 (The Love of Christ)
• Romans 12:1-2,9-13 (The Life of a Christian) - short version
• Romans 12:1-2,9-18 (The Life of a Christian) - longer version
• 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a,17-20 (Your Members of Temples of the Holy Spirit)
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love is patient and kind)
• Ephesians 3:14-19 (The Father from whom every family is named)
• Ephesians 5:1-2,25-32 (The Mystery of Christian Marriage) - short version
• Ephesians 5:1-2,21-33 (The Mystery of Christian Marriage) - longer version
• Colossians 3:12-17 (Live in Love and Thanksgiving)
• 1 Peter 3:1-9 (Peace and Harmony in the Family)
• 1 John 3:18-24 (Love, Real and Active)
• 1 John 4:7-12 (God is Love)
• Revelation 19:1,5-9a (Marriage of the Lamb)

Gospel
• Mark 10:6-9
• John 2:1-11
• John 15:9:12
• Matthew 5:1-12a (The Beatitudes)
• Matthew 5:13-16 (Salt of the Earth, Light of the World)
• Matthew 7:21,24-25 (House Built upon a Rock) - short version
• Matthew 7:21,24-29 (House Built upon a Rock) - longer version
• Matthew 19:3-6 (What God Has United, Man Must Not Divide)
• Matthew 22:35-40 (Love, the Greatest Commandment)
• Mark 10:6-9 (Two Become One Body)
• John 2:1-11 (Marriage Feast in Cana of Galilee)
• John 15:9-12 (Remain in my Love)
• John 15:12-16 (Love One Another)
• John 17:20-23 (That They May Be One) - short version
• John 17:20-26 (That They May Be One) - longer version

With love in Christ.

2009-08-13 16:56:07 by Robby Lace

Price: $34.95

(The Catholic Church has a three year cycle of Bible readings for Mass and daily study that covers the entire Bible in that time period.)

My friend says that we should let God guide us into what to read and that having a schedule limits our ability to get what we need out of the Bible... What do you think?
It's not just Catholics that do this. Orthodox, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists also have a set schedule or liturgy.
The Church forbid Bible reading before 1970?! Nonsense! I have a Bible from decades before then that says in the beginning that indulgences are granted to anyone who reads their Bible daily.

The readings insure that everyone hears the entire message. A priest though, led by the Spirit has the ability to present further scriptural references and messages in his sermon.

The cycle of readings is not intended to block the word of the spirit, but to insure that Catholics hear more of the Bible than they are likely to hear in churches where preachers only preach on their favorite verses.

In a typical Sunday service, a Catholic will read and hear the following from the Bible:
A psalm.
A reading from the Old Testament.
A reading from one of the letters of the New Testament
A gospel reading.
The Last Supper.
The Lord's Prayer.

Along with this is the sermon, from which the priest may reference more scripture, as well as one of the historical creeds.

People can bash the Catholic church all they like, but it is deeply rooted in scripture. The difference is that Catholics don't gain pride by knowing chapter and verse ... the original scriptures weren't written that way. Memorizing the chapter and verse is a modern creation that didn't exist in Christ's time.

If a Catholic knows the Lord's prayer, is it really necessary to know where, exactly in the Bible that comes from? I tend to think that many protestants simply exhibit pride in being able to cite chapter and verse. It's a legalistic attitude, which Christ spoke out against, that requires pointing to the specific verse by name and number.

2008-05-08 20:20:06 by vash sunglasses ~Catholic~

Lay readers are supposed to read the first reading, the responsorial psalm, and the second reading.

The priest or deacon should read the Gospel.

Some suggestions:

First Reading - Old Testament
+ Genesis 2:18-24
+ Songs of Songs 2:8-10, 13b-14, 16; 8:6-7
+ Sirach 26:1-4; 13-16
+ Genesis 1:26-28,31a (The Creation of Man and Woman)
+ Genesis 24:48-51,58-67 (The Meeting of Isaac and Rebekah)
+ Tobit 7:9c10,11c-17 (The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah)
+ Tobit 8:4-9 (Prayer of the New Spouses)
+ Jeremiah 31:31-32a,33-34a (The New Covenant of the People of God)

Responsorial Psalms
+ Psalm 34
+ Psalm 103
+ Psalm 128
+ Psalm 33 (The Lord is our help and shield; our hearts rejoice in Him)
+ Psalm 34 (The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them)
+ Psalm 46 (God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble)
+ Psalm 103 (As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him)
+ Psalm 112 (Happy the man who fears the Lord)
+ Psalm 121 (My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth)
+ Psalm 127 (Children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward)
+ Psalm 128 (Happiness and prosperity will be yours)
+ Psalm 145 (The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth)

Second Reading - Epistle
+ 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
+ Colossians 3:12-17
+ 1 John 4:7-12
+ Romans 8:31b-35,37-39 (The Love of Christ)
+ Romans 12:1-2,9-13 (The Life of a Christian) - short version
+ Romans 12:1-2,9-18 (The Life of a Christian) - longer version
+ 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a,17-20 (Your Members of Temples of the Holy Spirit)
+ 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love is patient and kind)
+ Ephesians 3:14-19 (The Father from whom every family is named)
+ Ephesians 5:1-2,25-32 (The Mystery of Christian Marriage) - short version
+ Ephesians 5:1-2,21-33 (The Mystery of Christian Marriage) - longer version
+ Colossians 3:12-17 (Live in Love and Thanksgiving)
+ 1 Peter 3:1-9 (Peace and Harmony in the Family)
+ 1 John 3:18-24 (Love, Real and Active)
+ 1 John 4:7-12 (God is Love)
+ Revelation 19:1,5-9a (Marriage of the Lamb)

Gospel
+ Mark 10:6-9
+ John 2:1-11
+ John 15:9:12
+ Matthew 5:1-12a (The Beatitudes)
+ Matthew 5:13-16 (Salt of the Earth, Light of the World)
+ Matthew 7:21,24-25 (House Built upon a Rock) - short version
+ Matthew 7:21,24-29 (House Built upon a Rock) - longer version
+ Matthew 19:3-6 (What God Has United, Man Must Not Divide)
+ Matthew 22:35-40 (Love, the Greatest Commandment)
+ Mark 10:6-9 (Two Become One Body)
+ John 2:1-11 (Marriage Feast in Cana of Galilee)
+ John 15:9-12 (Remain in my Love)
+ John 15:12-16 (Love One Another)
+ John 17:20-23 (That They May Be One) - short version
+ John 17:20-26 (That They May Be One) - longer version

With love in Christ.

2007-01-16 11:29:58 by myatt03

10 POINTS FOR BEST ANSWER!

Acts 1:1-12 This is the section where Jesus leaves the ministry to His Apostles.
Acts 1: 25-26 The other apostles are asking for guidance in replacing Judas.
Acts 6: 1-7 The need for assistance. The laying on of hands so the word of God could continue.
Acts 11: 30 The apostles appointed presbyters. A succession of power to others to assist the apostles.
Acts 14: 14 At this point Barnabas and Paul are called apostles.
This was done through the laying on of hands .

2008-11-12 17:10:57 by Danielle <3