December 31st was a big day for me and several others in the parish. We made it to Day 365 of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Catechism in a Year! And now that I’m in the routine of listening to a podcast each morning, it made sense to jump right into Bible in a Year. As I write this on day 9, already I’m hearing and thinking about scripture in a new and deeper way.
 
Next weekend we’ll celebrate Sunday of the Word of God, instituted in 2019 by Pope Francis “for Catholics to express their biblical faith and demonstrate it to others.” In the Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, the pope set aside the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time as “a Sunday given over entirely to the word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and his people.”
 
Our parish lectors have been given the privilege and responsibility of proclaiming the Word to us. They don’t just read; they allow the Holy Spirit – the breath of God – to flow through them. When Fr. Seda blesses our lectors on January 20-21, he’ll say, “The Word of God, proclaimed in the sacred Scripture, enlightens our minds and hearts. When the Scriptures are read in the liturgical assembly, God speaks to us and calls us to respond in faith and love.”
 
Let us ask God to open our minds to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45) and change our lives!