THIS WEEKEND, JAN. 21-22, THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, the Catholic Church throughout the world will celebrate the recently established “Word of God Sunday” with the theme “We proclaim what we have seen” (1 John 1:3).
Bishop David O’Connell has shared this message on “Word of God Sunday.”
Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the restructuring of the Liturgy of the Word within Mass, lectors and readers have concluded their Scripture Readings at Mass with the phrase “This is the Word of the Lord,” more recently shortened to simply “The Word of the Lord.” Once that statement is made, the congregation responds, “Thanks be to God!” In the case of the Gospel, the deacon or priest proclaims, “The Gospel of the Lord,” to which the faithful respond “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!”
Like many things we say and do repeatedly and often, this liturgical exchange has become routine, perhaps to the point where we do not think much about it. Yet this is really a very profound and important dialogue. What are we expressing with these words? Well, we believe that the Holy Scriptures – both Old and New Testaments –are God’s Word, formulated by the various sacred human authors but truly inspired by God as his divine message to us. What the Church offers to the faithful in each Reading selected for every Mass is an exposure to the written Word of God, proclaimed by readers who are designated by the Church for that sacred purpose.
Although the Bible remains the most widely published book in human history, for some Catholic Christians, the Readings at Sunday or daily Mass are among the few times that they hear or encounter God’s Word. What “word/words” could be more important for the faithful to hear or read? Sometimes, however, the Scripture passages proclaimed at Mass seem to go in one ear and out the other with little impact. This is not an intentional occurrence, I am quite sure. Things easily distract us. Our minds are pre-occupied with other circumstances in our life. We might be sleepy or simply inattentive or easily forgetful. Ask yourself later in the day after going to Mass, what was today’s First Reading? Who was the author of today’s Gospel; what was it about?
Read the full message HERE.BISHOP O’CONNELL AND SEVERAL DOZEN PRIESTS OF THE DIOCESE joined the faithful for a Mass for Life, Jan. 20 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. The following is an excerpt of Bishop O’Connell’s homily:
We are – all of us – created by God, created by God as we are. That is truth. “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you,” the Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed this truth. “Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose (Jeremiah 1: 5).” Our creation, our very lives, therefore, are no mistake, no accident and admit of no exception. That is truth. That is why we are here together “standing for life!”
As Catholics, we are “pro-life.” How can a Catholic be otherwise? And, yet, we see in our day people – even some who identify as Catholic, some who hold the highest offices in our nation and here in our state – who not only are NOT pro-life but who work against that conviction, who vigorously support a contrary position, who tragically seek to make even more restrictive legislation that enables the destruction of life at its most vulnerable stages in the womb the law of the land, the law of our state.
There are those who think imposing a medicinal, canon law penalty on these individuals will change that. If medicine doesn’t cure, if medicine doesn’t work, what good purpose does it serve? Will it save the life of a single child in the womb. Hearts have become so hardened. God will be their judge.
The full homily can be found HERE.NEW JERSEY CATHOLIC LEADERS ARE CALLING UPON VOTERS to contact the Governor’s Office regarding the needs of nonpublic school students in the upcoming 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Budget.
In an Action Alert issued Jan. 18 by the New Jersey Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops, voters are urged to request of Gov. Phil Murphy two types of education funding increases: school transportation and remedial instruction for language arts and mathematics.
The NJCC and New Jersey Network of Catholic School Families support an increase in transportation funding from the statutory ceiling of $1,000 to at least $1,300 per pupil. In their explanation, they note that the ceiling for the current school year was increased in the last state budget by a mere $22 per pupil, hardly enough to cover bids on the routes by private companies.
“Transportation is the lifeblood of nonpublic schools,” the NJCC stated in materials promoting the Action Alert, noting that private bus contractors currently serving over 85 percent of the nonpublic school routes may charge whatever they want. “No public school child is ever denied a ride to school because of transportation costs.”
Read more HERE. To send an email to Governor Murphy click HERE.