A Knight's Walk in the Kingdom

theophilus June 1st, 2009

A lot of people are blessed in that they are willing and able to attend daily Mass.  They have both the call to spend 30 minutes a day celebrating the Sacred Mysteries of the Mass, and they have access to a Mass that fits into their work schedule.

Some of us aren’t so lucky.  We may have the call, but not the Mass.  For example, the parishes between me and my office have Masses after 8:00am (including my own); not exactly conducive to getting me into the office by 8:30.  There is a parish with a 11:30am Mass, but it is 20 minutes away from my office.  I do go there on Fridays when I can afford some extra time at lunch, but it’s not a Mass I can make every day.

But I have found a way to keep in tune with the daily rhythms of the Church, especially the celebration of the Mass.  I read the daily Mass readings.

It’s important to me to actually read the readings and follow the prayers of the daily Mass because it connects me with Christ in a very profound way.  It also makes me feel part of a greater whole.  Think about it – these readings and prayers are being said on that day in every church in the world.  It’s a way to join myself to every other Catholic in the universal Church.

It’s also important because it gives me a chance to reflect on passages from the scriptures and do some bible study.  By reading the Daily Mass readings, I can cover most of the non-gospel part of the Bible in two years.  The first readings alternate from year to year with the daily gospel remaining constant from year to year.  (Keep in mind that the Sunday readings are on a three year cycle.)

Last night was the end of Easter; now we head back into Ordinary Time.  It’s a good time to look forward as to what the Daily Readings hold in store for us for the remainder of the Church liturgical year.

The first readings start with readings from the Book of Tobit this week and then jump to the 2nd Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians for the following two weeks.

From there, the first readings launch into the Pentateuch, starting with Genesis 12 when God makes his covenant with Abraham, and going through to Deuteronomy.  We then go into a little history with Joshua, Judges and Ruth.  At the end of August, it’s back to St. Paul with readings from his 1st Letter to the Thessalonians, Colossians, and his first letter to St. Timothy.  At the end of September, it’s back to the Old Testament with three weeks of readings from the minor histories and prophets (Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Baruch, Jonah, Malachi and Joel).  Then it’s four weeks of readings from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, a week from the Book of Wisdom, a week from the 1st and 2nd Book of Maccabees and then a week from the Book of Daniel, when we end one liturgical year and begin another by heading into Advent.

The gospel readings don’t jump around like the first readings.  For this week, the gospel is taken from Mark 12, which tells about Jesus teaching in the temple.  Next week, we start with Matthew 5 (the Sermon on the Mount) and, over the next 12 weeks, go through to Matthew 23 (the eve of the Passion).  At the end of August, we switch over to Luke, starting with Luke 4 (beginning of Jesus’ ministry), and going through to Luke 21 (the eve of the Passion).

So, from the first readings, you will get a good mix of the Old Testament and the Epistles.  From the gospels, you will get two different perspectives on Jesus’ active ministry and teachings.  Not a bad way to spend fifteen or so minutes a day.

I suggest three different ways to keep in touch with the daily readings, if you cannot make it to daily Mass.  The first, easiest and cheapest is to go to the bishop’s web site for the daily readings.  You can also subscribe to a periodical that will give you the Mass readings, the prayers of the Mass, and reflections.  One periodical is Magnificat; another is Word Among Us.  The other way is to buy a missal.  One option is the St. Joseph Missal from Catholic Book Publishing (need 3 volumes to cover all of the weekday and Sunday readings).  Another option is a one-volume missal – the Daily Roman Missal from the Midwest Theological Forum and Our Sunday Visitor.  I have the Daily Roman Missal and it is a truly amazing volume of work.

Enjoy the daily Mass; learn from the daily readings; let the Mass become a part of your daily life, even if you cannot actually make it to Mass.  Join your daily prayers to those of the universal Church.  Offer your day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.  It is a wonderful way to spend part of your day.

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