Sunday of the Word of God
(Third Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Historical Context and Background:

• This new liturgical celebration was first instituted by Pope Francis on September 30, 2019, the liturgical feast of Saint Jerome.
  • St. Jerome (born ca. AD 345; died AD 420) was a great early biblical scholar and translator of the Vulgate Bible.
     
• It is celebrated annually on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (the Sunday between Jan. 21 and 27).
  • The Gospel Readings on this Sunday are taken from the beginning of Jesus' Public Ministry
    in the Gospels of Matthew (Year A), Mark (Year B), and Luke (Year C) in the three-year cycle of Lectionary readings.
     
    • Year A: Matt 4:12-23 - Jesus begins his ministry in Capernaum and calls his first four disciples
       
    • Year B: Mark 1:14-20 - Jesus' initial preaching in Galilee and the call of his first four disciples
       
    • Year C: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 - Luke's Prologue and Jesus in the synagoguge at Nazareth

Official Documents:

• Pope Francis, Aperuit illis - Apostolic letter published Sept. 30, 2019.
  • The Latin title is taken from the first words of the Vulgate translation of Lk 24:45 -
    "He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (the risen Lord appearing to his disciples)
     
• Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization - "Sunday of the Word of God" webpage; materials related to the annual celebrations in Rome
   
• Archbishop Rino Fisichella - Press Conference on Jan. 17, 2020, on the presentation of the first Sunday of the Word of God
  by the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.
  • Included the unveiling of the Official Logo for the Sunday of the Word of God (Domenica della Parola de Dio)
     
• CDWDS, "Note: The Sunday of the Word of God" - published Dec. 17, 2020, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
   
• Homilies by Pope Francis on the "Sunday of the Word of God":
  • Jan. 26, 2020 (Year A)
     
  • Jan. 24, 2021 (Year B)
     
  • Jan. 23, 2022 (Year C)
     
  • Jan. 22, 2023 (Year A)
     
  • Jan. 21, 2024 (Year B) - new!
     
• Other Liturgical Documents:
  
  • Vatican II: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
     
  • Vatican II: Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
     
  • Pope Benedict XVI: Verbum Domini (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Word of God)
     
  • General Instruction on the Roman Missal
     
  • The Lectionary for Mass
     

Video Seminars on the Bible:

• Produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for the annual celebration of the "Sunday of the Word of God" on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time.
• Video seminars, about 30-40 minutes each, in English and in Spanish.
• All are available at https://catholic.bible/sunday-of-the-word-of-god/
   

Articles and Explanations:

• "Living in the Life of Jesus" (on reading the Gospels daily) - by Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles (Angelus, Dec. 21, 2021)

• "Encountering the power and beauty of the Sacred Scriptures" - by Dcn. Justin Stanwix of Australia (La Croix International, Jan. 23, 2021)
   

Further Resources:

• Excellent free resources from the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC):
  • Sunday of the Word of God 2022 (Year C)
  • Sunday of the Word of God 2023 (Year A)
  • Sunday of the Word of God 2024 (Year B)
     
• Catholic Church Documents on the Bible - outlines and full texts of Dei Verbum, Verbum Domini, and many more
   
• Sunday of the Word of God - Wikipedia article
   
• Sunday of the Word of God - various resources from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
   
• Word of God Sunday - a fine collection of resources and links, from the Office for Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

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