Present in the Word

Homily 502 | 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time | Year B

Today I continue with the second installment in a series of homilies on the the Mass. Last week I looked at history and Introductory Rites. This week I consider the remainder of the first half of the Mass, known today as the Liturgy of the Word.

One important question to keep in mind is, “Where did the Bible come from?” There is an important tie with the liturgy. One of the main reasons to have a fixed canon of Sacred Scripture goes back to the need to know which books can be read at Mass. We say that the Scripture has God as the author, so we need to know which writings were truly authored by God.

Another important thing to keep in mind at Mass is that the proclamation of the readings is much more than just a reading or Bible study. The proclamation of the word makes present the Word, the second person of the Holy Trinity. The Word of God is much more than text on a page. The Word is a person. In the beginning, everything was made through the powerful speaking of the Word. The Second Vatican Council teaches that Christ is present at Mass in the proclamation of the word. It is Christ who speaks whenever the scriptures are read in the Church (see Sacrosanctum Concilium 7).

Today’s homily concludes with a quick look at the Creed and some complex theology contained in the words “incarnate” and “consubstantial.” The Universal Prayer or prayer of the faithful (the “petitions”) ends the first half of the Mass and leads us into the Liturgy of the Eucharist to follow. More on that in upcoming weeks.