Word of God Sunday
On this Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time the Church also celebrates Word of God Sunday, a day set aside to renew our love for Sacred Scripture and our attentiveness to God who speaks. Instituted to highlight the central place of the Word in the life of the Church, this day invites us not only to hear Scripture proclaimed, but to receive it as a living word addressed personally to us.
The Word of God is not simply a
text from the past. It is living and active, shaping faith, guiding conscience,
and forming disciples. As Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes, we are reminded that
God’s Word reveals the values of the Kingdom and invites us into a way of life
shaped by trust, mercy, and humility.
Word of God Sunday also
encourages us to deepen our relationship with Scripture beyond the liturgy —
through prayerful reading, reflection, and daily listening. Ordinary Time
provides the space for this steady encounter, allowing the Word to take root gradually
and bear fruit in everyday life.
Word of God Sunday
On this Sunday, the Church also
celebrates Word of God Sunday, a day set aside to renew our love for
Sacred Scripture and our attentiveness to God who speaks. Instituted to
highlight the central place of the Word in the life of the Church, this day
invites us not only to hear Scripture proclaimed, but to receive it as a living
word addressed personally to us.
The Word of God is not simply a
text from the past. It is living and active, shaping faith, guiding conscience,
and forming disciples. As Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes, we are reminded that
God’s Word reveals the values of the Kingdom and invites us into a way of life
shaped by trust, mercy, and humility.
Word of God Sunday also
encourages us to deepen our relationship with Scripture beyond the liturgy —
through prayerful reading, reflection, and daily listening. Ordinary Time
provides the space for this steady encounter, allowing the Word to take root gradually
and bear fruit in everyday life.
The
Fourth Sunday Pattern: A Pause That Reorients
- Fourth Sunday of Lent – Laetare Sunday
-
A softening of penitence. Rose vestments. “Rejoice” not because
Lent is over, but because God’s mercy is already at work.
- Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday
- A pause in Resurrection triumph to remind us who the Risen Christ is:
- not distant glory, but the Shepherd who knows, calls, and lays down his life.
In both cases, the Church says,
in effect:
“Do not lose heart. Remember
who God is, and who you are to Him.”
These Sundays are pastoral
interruptions.
Where Word of God Sunday Fits (and Why It’s
Different)
Word of God Sunday isn’t a “fourth-Sunday
pause” — it’s a foundation pause.
It doesn’t mirror Laetare or Good
Shepherd Sunday by position in the calendar, but by function.
What does it do?
Word of God Sunday: has 3
functions:
Re-centres the Church on revelation before action
Reminds us that every season — penitential, paschal, or ordinary — begins with God speaking
In that sense, it quietly
underpins all the other Sundays mentioned.
- Laetare Sunday reassures us: God’s mercy restores us
- Good Shepherd Sunday reassures us: God’s Son leads us
- Word of God Sunday grounds us: God’s voice forms us
Ordinary
Time Isn’t Missing the Pause — It Is the Pause
Ordinary Time doesn’t need a
“mirrored fourth Sunday” because it is already the space where the Word is
lived, absorbed, and repeated until it becomes flesh in us.
Ordinary Time:
- Is not “ordinary” in the casual sense
- Is ordered time — time shaped by the steady proclamation of Scripture
- Trains us in faithful listening rather than dramatic moments
So Word of
God Sunday appearing in Ordinary Time is actually perfect: It is not so much a
highlight but rather a reminder of
the quiet centre that sustains the whole liturgical year
- “If Laetare Sunday reminds us that mercy is already breaking through, and Good Shepherd Sunday reminds us who walks ahead of us, Word of God Sunday reminds us that it all begins with listening.”
- “The Church does not mirror Laetare or Good Shepherd Sunday in Ordinary Time — instead, she gives us the Word itself, trusting that attentive listening is what carries us through every season.”
- “Before we rejoice, before we follow, before we act — we are first a people who listen.”
Conclusion
The Church
knows and teaches us:
- when to interrupt intensity.
- when to soften the journey.
- when to simply say: “Listen again.”
May God bless you on This Word of
God Sunday.
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