The Readings in Ordinary Time
All of the readings that we hear at Mass come from the Bible, either the Old Testament or the New Testament. On the Sundays of what is called Ordinary Time, there are three readings provided by the Church for us to hear and reflect upon. The first reading is from the Old Testament, the second reading is from an apostle, and the third reading is from one of the gospels.
The Sunday readings are arranged in a three-year cycle, so that we hear each set of readings every three years. The Gospel readings and are generally taken from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Gospel of John is used at other times. In general, the gospels for this time of the year deal with the life and teaching of Christ. The Old Testament readings have been chosen to correspond to the gospel readings in order to bring out the unity between the Old and New Testaments. A Catholic understanding of the Bible recognizes that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is better understood in light of the New.
The second reading is a generally continuous reading from the Letters of Paul and James since the Letters of Peter and John are read at other times.
Consequently, the distributions of the readings of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter as well as those of Ordinary Time assure that those who take part in Sunday Mass are familiar with the New Testament and almost all of the principal passages of the Old Testament.
Source: Rev. Kurt Belsole, OSB, Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA
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