The Liturgy of the Word in the Masses of Sundays and Solemnities in the Roman Rite contains three readings: the First Reading, the Second Reading, and the Gospel. Between the First and Second Readings, the Responsorial Psalm is sung; before the Gospel, the Gospel Acclamation is sung.
The 1998 Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, speaking of this structure, says “This arrangement brings out the unity of the Old and New Testaments and of the history of salvation, in which Christ is the central figure, commemorated in his paschal mystery. [emphasis added] Introduction, Section Two, Chapter Four, #66, sub-section 1
The instruction goes on to say, “The principles governing the Order of Readings for Sundays and festive days are called the principles of harmony and of semi-continuous reading.” Introduction, Section Two, Chapter Four, #66, sub-section 3
How do these work in Ordinary Time? What does the intelligent liturgist and musician need to know about how the Lectionary is put together, and the meaning that the Church intended us to hear when these specific readings are juxtaposed, one against the other two?
It works in several different ways, all explained in the Introduction.
1. Harmony is defined by the Introduction as occurring “when it is one that the
Scriptures themselves suggests. This is the case when the doctrine and events
recounted in the New Testament bear a more or less explicit relationship to the
doctrine and events of the Old Testament. The present Order of Readings
selects Old Testament texts mainly because of their correlation with New Testament texts read in the same Mass, and particularly with the Gospel text. [emphasis added]
2. Semi-continuous reading is described in the Introduction in this way:
“In contrast, the Sundays of Ordinary Time do not have a distinctive character
(such as those of Advent, Lent, and Easter have). Thus the texts of both the
apostolic and Gospel readings are arranged in order of semi-continuous reading,
whereas the Old Testament reading is harmonized with the Gospel.
Introduction, Section Two, Chapter Four, #67
Why do the Sundays of Ordinary Time not have “themes” where all three readings tie together? This, too, is explained in the Introduction, when it says “Such an arrangement (i.e., by themes) would be in conflict with the genuine concept of liturgical celebration,
which is always the celebration of the mystery of Christ and which, by its own tradition, makes use of the Word of God not only at the prompting of logical or extrinsic concerns, but spurred by the desire to proclaim the Gospel and to lead those who believe to the fullness of truth.”
Introduction, Section Two, Chapter Four, #68
How have the readings been chosen, and for what purpose? The Introduction to the Lectionary begins with the selection of the Gospel, and says “Beginning with the Third Sunday, there is a semi-continuous reading of the Synoptic Gospels. This reading is arranged in such a way that the Lord’s life and preaching unfold as the doctrine proper to each of these Gospels is presented. This distribution also provides a certain coordination between the meaning of each Gospel and the progress of the liturgical year. Thus, after Epiphany, the readings are on the beginning of the Lord’s preaching; they fit in well with the Lord’s baptism and the first events in which he manifests himself.
After the Gospel has been selected, the First Reading (during this season, always from the Old Testament) is chosen for its harmonization with the Gospel of the day. The Introduction says, “These readings have been chosen (1) to correspond to the Gospel passages, in order to avoid an excessive diversity between the readings of different Masses and (2) above all, to bring out the unity between the Old and New Testament. The connection between the readings of the same Mass is shown by a precise choice of the “headings” (i.e. small print, red sentences which precede each reading) prefixed to the individual readings.”
Then where does the Second Reading come from? “There is a semi-continuous reading of the letters of Paul and James during Ordinary Time (the letters of Peter and John being read during the Easter and Christmas seasons). Because it is quite long, and deals with such diverse issues, First Corinthians has been spread over the three years of the lectionary cycle at the beginning of Ordinary Time. It also was thought best to divide the Letter to the Hebrews into two parts; first part read in Year B, and the second in Year C. Only readings that are short and readily grasped by the people have been chosen.”
Introduction, Section Two, Chapter Five, #107