Daily Retreat 09/4/06
2006 Sep 4 Mon: Ordinary Weekday/ Labor Day
1 Cor 2: 1-5/ Ps 118(119): 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102/ Lk 4: 16-30.
From today’s readings: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.... Lord, I love Your commands.... Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Lookout for Luke
After months of Matthew’s Gospel in the weekday readings, why does the lectionary abruptly move to Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel? Since readers keep raising such questions, I’m committed to these occasional explanations about the lectionary scope and sequence of readings. Although they’re not the most inspiring meditations, at least they should help so that the little pieces of the daily readings can be better understood in the wider context of the seasonal structure of the liturgical year.
The two main tracks of the ordinary lectionary readings are the Sunday cycle, and the weekday cycle (which, incidentally, includes Saturday). The general plan of the 3-year Sunday cycle is to focus on one of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) each year, with portions of John’s Gospel read in the Easter season, and occasionally during the year. So, for instance, this year, the Sunday Gospel readings are primarily from Mark, although for the last several weeks, the 6th chapter of John had been covered in a Eucharistic excursus, up until yesterday, when Mark’s Gospel was resumed.
Because the lectionary’s structure includes a Gospel reading every day, the weekday cycle traverses almost the entirety of all four Gospels each year. Readings from John’s Gospel are limited to weekdays of the Christmas, Lent, and Easter seasons, but the other three Gospels are sequenced throughout the year. Thus, in January, after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the lectionary logically starts with Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel, with consecutive readings from that Gospel until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. During Lent and Easter time, season-specific readings temporarily interrupt the ordinary lectionary plan, which is, however, resumed after Pentecost.
Jesus’ “End Times” discourses and the accounts of His birth, childhood, baptism, temptations, passion, and resurrection are all readings reserved for the proper liturgical seasons. So, when the weekday lectionary finishes Chapter 12 of Mark (usually sometime in June), it suddenly switches to Chapter 5 of Matthew, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The majority of Matthew’s Gospel, through the 25th chapter, is then featured sequentially until the 22nd week of Ordinary Time (generally in September). So, today, the weekday lectionary jumps to Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel, the Lord’s own opening manifesto of His ministry, proclaimed in the synagogue at Nazareth. The rest of Luke’s Gospel (through Chapter 21) is then followed for the remainder of the year, until Advent.
1 Cor 2: 1-5/ Ps 118(119): 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102/ Lk 4: 16-30.
From today’s readings: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.... Lord, I love Your commands.... Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Lookout for Luke
After months of Matthew’s Gospel in the weekday readings, why does the lectionary abruptly move to Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel? Since readers keep raising such questions, I’m committed to these occasional explanations about the lectionary scope and sequence of readings. Although they’re not the most inspiring meditations, at least they should help so that the little pieces of the daily readings can be better understood in the wider context of the seasonal structure of the liturgical year.
The two main tracks of the ordinary lectionary readings are the Sunday cycle, and the weekday cycle (which, incidentally, includes Saturday). The general plan of the 3-year Sunday cycle is to focus on one of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) each year, with portions of John’s Gospel read in the Easter season, and occasionally during the year. So, for instance, this year, the Sunday Gospel readings are primarily from Mark, although for the last several weeks, the 6th chapter of John had been covered in a Eucharistic excursus, up until yesterday, when Mark’s Gospel was resumed.
Because the lectionary’s structure includes a Gospel reading every day, the weekday cycle traverses almost the entirety of all four Gospels each year. Readings from John’s Gospel are limited to weekdays of the Christmas, Lent, and Easter seasons, but the other three Gospels are sequenced throughout the year. Thus, in January, after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the lectionary logically starts with Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel, with consecutive readings from that Gospel until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. During Lent and Easter time, season-specific readings temporarily interrupt the ordinary lectionary plan, which is, however, resumed after Pentecost.
Jesus’ “End Times” discourses and the accounts of His birth, childhood, baptism, temptations, passion, and resurrection are all readings reserved for the proper liturgical seasons. So, when the weekday lectionary finishes Chapter 12 of Mark (usually sometime in June), it suddenly switches to Chapter 5 of Matthew, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The majority of Matthew’s Gospel, through the 25th chapter, is then featured sequentially until the 22nd week of Ordinary Time (generally in September). So, today, the weekday lectionary jumps to Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel, the Lord’s own opening manifesto of His ministry, proclaimed in the synagogue at Nazareth. The rest of Luke’s Gospel (through Chapter 21) is then followed for the remainder of the year, until Advent.
posted by FrPitstick | 9/02/2006
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