John 1:14–12
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
He enabled those who accepted him
to become the children of God.
Alleluia!
The Catholic Church in Australia celebrates Word of God Sunday on the first Sunday in February each year, which will be on 5 February in 2023—the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. (Many countries celebrate the occasion on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.)
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has developed a range of resources to help individuals, families, parishes, schools and other ministries commemorate Word of God Sunday. Among the ways Catholics and Catholic communities are being encouraged to mark the day are by organising a special display of Sacred Scripture or the Book of the Gospels, establishing Bible-study groups or adopting lectio divina, a common practice of reflection on Scripture.
The resources include:
You can also visit www.catholic.org.au/wordofgodsunday to access all these resources and for suggestions on how to better engage with Sacred Scripture in various ways and settings.
God’s love draws us and encourages us to become a people of prayer for a fuller life in the Spirit.
We pray for Pope Francis and all the bishops of the Church. May they continue to lead by the light that is the Good News of Christ’s Gospel.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who make our laws and administer justice. May those who work for the displaced and refugees of our world find guidance in the meaning of today’s feast, that God reaches out to all people.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those who face new beginnings in the year ahead—students choosing courses of study, those seeking employment, couples preparing for marriage, widows and widowers now alone. May they be strengthened by the Spirit and guided by Christ’s message in the gospels.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all of us who have been baptised into Christ’s Body, the Church. May we always be faithful to the teachings of Jesus.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for …
Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who united himself with the Lord’s Passion and Cross.
Through death, may he may come to share in the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for the sick of our parish and for those who care for them.
We pray for the recently departed and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they now share the eternal life promised to us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As your people, O God, you have called us to a stewardship of prayer. These prayers we entrust to you today, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Matthew 2:2
Alleluia, Alleluia!
We have seen his star in the East;
and have come to adore the Lord.
Alleluia!
The key to understanding this highly symbolic gospel lies in the response to Jesus of the various actors. The wise men are not of the house of Israel; they are foreigners from the East. And yet it is they who recognise the signs and embark on a journey to find the newborn king and worship him. The opposite response comes from the very people who should know better. Herod, the King of the Jews, and the chief priests and scribes, the interpreters of Scripture, have not seen what is there before them and, when they do come to understand, seek only to do harm to Jesus. This is the first hint of the harm that will ultimately come to him from similar characters much later in his life. They are not open to the revelation of God in this child.
Imagine the disappointment the wise men must have felt when they find a poor child born in a simple house instead of a mighty king. But they are open to the revelation of God and bow down before him. The expensive gifts of the wise men are highly symbolic: gold was presented to kings, frankincense was offered to God, and myrrh used in anointing for burial. Thus they refer to the kingship of Jesus, his divinity and his salvific death.
The feast of the Epiphany came to be celebrated about the fourth century and has always been a very important feast, especially in the Eastern churches. For the early church, one of the biggest problems they faced was the realisation that even those who were not Jewish were invited to faith in Jesus as Lord. Even though his roots were in Judaism, Jesus is of significance to all people who seek the truth.
The wise men were warned in a dream not to return the same way. They did not backtrack but took a new road in life after their encounter with the Christ Child. The magi are Gentiles, not Jews. Matthew is alerting his community to the truth that the Gospel is for all people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
Isaiah 60:1–6
Above you the glory of the Lord appears.
Psalm 71(72):1–2, 7–8, 10–13
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Ephesians 3:2–3, 5–6
It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance.
Matthew 2:2
We have seen his star in the East; and have come to adore the Lord.
Matthew 2:1–12
The visit of the Magi
On Epiphany, the Old Testament reading and the Gospel continue the Roman tradition; the text for the reading from the apostolic letters is about the calling of all peoples to salvation. On the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the texts chosen are about this mystery.
—Lectionary for Mass: Introduction, §95
Again the Church has its plans when choosing the Lectionary for these days. The days of Christmas and Epiphany remind us of the universal call to holiness that our God makes to all nations. While God may call us into his beloved Body of Christ, the Church, God invites us to reach out to all peoples with the Good News of salvation. This call will only be complete when Christ is ‘all in all’ in every aspect of our lives.
‘Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion.’
—entrance antiphon
As Mary pondered in her heart the wonderful gifts of God, we bring the prayers we hold in our hearts, confident we shall be heard.
We pray for Pope Francis and all the bishops and priests of our Church. May they continue to follow the example of Mary, responding to God’s call with humility and whole-hearted devotion.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those forced to separate from their families because of war, persecution or economic conditions. May their hope of being united with their loved ones become a reality.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all mothers. May they be given strength, wisdom and courage to face the challenges that family life can bring, and may they also experience its deepest joys.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As we embark on a new year, we pray for our parish. May we hear and respond to the word of God, finding strength and unity in the Eucharist we share.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for …
Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who have gone before us in death over the past year, especially family members and those who have died recently, and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time. May they be welcomed by God to the peace of their heavenly home.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Father, may we, like Mary, open our hearts to your transforming love, gratefully pondering in our hearts all that you have done. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The scriptural presentations of Mary, the mother of Jesus, differ quite markedly across the four gospels. She, along with Jesus’ extended family, is portrayed quite negatively in Mark (Mark 3:21, 31) as thinking that Jesus has gone mad! In Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus, the leading role is given to Joseph rather than to Mary; however, both Luke and John assign a place of honour and importance to the mother of Christ. In Luke, Mary is hailed as ‘blessed among women’ and is present at prayer with the twelve in the upper room after the death of Jesus on the cross, and so is also one who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, just as she did at Jesus’ conception. Unfailingly in Luke’s Gospel, Mary is presented as a devout and pious Jew, who follows the Law but also, more importantly, cooperates fully with God’s plan of salvation. What is perhaps most touching in Luke’s presentation of Mary is the truly maternal image of a woman wondering about the future of this child she has just borne and pondering in her heart the things that are said about him.
Father, may the prayer of Mary and the gift of a mother’s love be your people’s joy through the ages.
May her response to your call, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
One of the great devotions to Mary as the Mother of God and Queen of Peace is the daily recitation of the rosary. The word rosarycomes from the Latin rosarius, which means ‘a garland’ or ‘bouquet of roses’. The origins of the the rosary are clouded by time, but the practice is popularly attributed to St Dominic in the thirteenth century. The rosary combines both vocal and meditative prayer; while reciting prayers aloud, the supplicant meditates on particular events grouped in what are known as ‘the Mysteries’. There are four sets of Mysteries: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, the Glorious and—added most recently by the late Pope John Paul II—the Luminous Mysteries.
Over the centuries, many titles have been given to the person of Mary, Mother of God. In some cases, there are particular titles that have meaning in certain places—for example, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Under the title of ‘Mary, Help of Christians’, Our Lady is the patroness of Australia. Do some research on the titles of Mary and their meanings.
It is useful to change the Mass setting from whatever is used in the season of Christmas to highlight the change in the liturgical year, while also matching the level of solemnity. A Mass setting that people can sing well and that is sung over time is preferable to changing Mass settings each week. The Mass setting chosen should also be engaging, both melodically and rhythmically, as this invites and sustains interest. The encouraged and supported participation of the people each week builds the confidence and capacity of the singing assembly. See also the ‘Mass Settings’ section in CWBII.
Some suggested settings are:
Seasonal psalms, common responsorial psalms and common responses are a resource for communities who wish to sing the responsorial psalm but find they cannot learn new music each week. These settings can be sung over some weeks: seasonal and common responsorial psalms are sung as they are written, and common responses allow for the use of a common antiphon and the psalm verses set for each week. By using the psalms suggested over time, a community can gradually build its repertoire and ensure that the sung responsorial psalm stays a regular part of the Liturgy of the Word.
Use the verse appropriate to the day. It is useful to use one Gospel acclamation consistently to support confident participation by the assembly.
The procession of the gifts or offertory is an appropriate time for a suitable piece from a solo singer, an instrumentalist or the choir. This piece may replace a communal hymn or song at this time.
The GIRM (§88) instructs that when the distribution of Communion is finished, there is a time of silence and prayer. This period of silence may then be followed by a thanksgiving hymn, psalm or canticle that is to be sung by all.
By Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Funeral rites are celebrated for a deceased pope in accordance with the The Roman Ritual and The Roman Missal, and with the apostolic constitution, Universi Dominci gregis. Prior to the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Holy See had not published information about the funeral rites for a pope who had resigned the papacy. The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff is likely to announce how the funeral rites for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be celebrated and to publish the texts for these rites as booklets (www.vatican.va/content/liturgy/en.html).
The apostolic constitution, Universi Dominci gregis, issued by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1996, deals with the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of the Roman Pontiff. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had resigned the papacy, these provisions will not take effect. Chapter V of Universi Dominci gregis deals with the funeral rites of the Roman Pontiff. Some of the provisions of this chapter might apply for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI may have asked for certain arrangements to be made for the funeral rites to be celebrated for him, which would be honoured.
The last funeral rites to be celebrated for a deceased pope were for Pope Saint John Paul II, who died in April 2005 while still in office. The arrangements for his funeral can be reviewed here.
The cathedral church is the appropriate place for the diocesan commemoration of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Parishes ought also to commemorate Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in parish churches.
The Roman Missal provides, from among the prayers for the dead, three sets of orations ‘For a Pope’, on pages 1465–1467. Of these, set B, page 1466, is better suited for a pope emeritus. There are five prefaces for the dead, on pages 656–665. Eucharistic Prayers I, II and III provide for the deceased to be mentioned by name, and Eucharistic Prayers II and III include a text for use in Masses for the Dead. There is a solemn blessing that can be used ‘In Celebrations for the Dead’, pages 720–721.
The Lectionary, volume III, provides a selection of readings from Sacred Scripture for ‘Masses for the Dead’, on pages 849–890. From among these texts, suitable readings should be chosen for use in a Mass to commemorate Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
In the universal prayer (prayer of the faithful), the following sample intercessions might be used as appropriate:
That God may grant Pope Emeritus Benedict a share in the heavenly liturgy,
for he devoutly exercised the ministry of priest and bishop in the earthly liturgy,
let us pray to the Lord.For Pope Emeritus Benedict, who governed Christ’s Church with love and fidelity,
that Christ may welcome him to the place prepared for him in the Father’s house,
we pray to the Lord.Let us pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict,
who united himself with the Lord’s Passion and Cross,
that through death he may come to share in the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection.
Lord, hear us.
The Divine Office, volume I, provides ‘The Office for the Dead’. Morning Prayer (Lauds), pages 471*–479*, and Evening Prayer (Vespers), pages 483*–489*, are well suited for public celebration. In addition to the selection of concluding prayers, a collect from the orations ‘For a Pope’ given in The Roman Missal could be used. Hymns for ‘The Office for the Dead’ are given on pages 573*–574*.
The Catholic Worship Book II provides a selection of hymns for funerals, numbers 141–157, and Latin funeral chants, numbers 158a–158e. Other suitable hymns are listed in the Liturgical Index under ‘Funerals’.
A biography of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is available on the Vatican website at www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/biography.index.html.
His papal coat of arms was:
