Focus On.... The Lectionary
A new edition of the Lectionary, the book which contains the readings which are proclaimed at Mass, will come into use on the First Sunday of Advent 2024.
A New Lectionary for Churches in the UK
In 2020, Scotland’s Bishops first approved the preparation of a new Lectionary (a book of readings used at Mass) to update and replace the three volume Lectionary in use in the dioceses of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland for almost 30 years.
The current Lectionary was first published in 1981 using the Jerusalem Bible (1966) as its base text.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland (BCOS) said: “In reaching a decision about a translation for the Lectionary, BCOS itself considered the values they would most expect a Lectionary to embody, for example, accuracy, dignity, facility of proclamation, and accessibility.
"The Catholic Edition of the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible, published in 2018, will be used as the base text for the new translation, it has been accepted by the Bishops of England and Wales as the basis for their own Lectionary and the Scottish Bishops voted at their July 2020 meeting to use it as well.
"It makes practical and pastoral good sense for the same translation to be used in Scotland, England and Wales.”
He added: “The National Liturgy Commission has looked closely at the issue of a new Lectionary and hope that its publication will keep the biblical word alive and active for the holy People of God and shape thought and culture in our changing world.”
By listening to and understanding the Scriptures we encounter God and understand how he reveals himself to us, enabling us to grow in faith. But we do not listen alone. Through a faithful proclamation of the word of God within the tradition of the Church we benefit from the holiness and wisdom of all the faithful who have gone before us. According to the General Introduction to the Lectionary: through his word, God unceasingly calls to mind and extends the plan of salvation, which achieves its fullest expression in the liturgy. The liturgical celebration becomes therefore the continuing, complete, and effective presentation of God’s word.
You can read more about the Lectionary and this change.