The Lectionary Explained

Catholic Mass Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary

After the Second Vatican Council of 1962–1965, the Holy See, even before producing an actual lectionary (in Latin), promulgated the Ordo Lectionum Missae (Order of the Readings for Mass), giving indications of the revised structure and the references to the passages chosen for inclusion in the new official lectionary of the Roman Rite of Mass. It introduced an arrangement by which the readings on Sundays and on some principal feasts recur in a 3-year cycle, with four passages from Scripture (including one from the Psalms) being used in each celebration, while on weekdays only three passages (again including one from the Psalms) are used, with the first reading and the psalm recurring in a 2-year cycle, while the Gospel reading recurs after a single year. This revised Mass Lectionary, covering much more of the Bible than the readings in the Tridentine Roman Missal, which recurred after a single year, has been translated into the many languages in which the Roman Rite Mass is now celebrated, incorporating existing or specially prepared translations of the Bible and with readings for national celebrations added either as an appendix or, in some cases, incorporated into the main part of the lectionary.

The Roman Catholic Mass Lectionary is the basis on which many Protestant lectionaries have been based, most notably the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) and its derivatives, as organized by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) organization located in Nashville, Tennessee. Like the Mass Lectionary, they generally organize the readings for worship services on Sundays in a 3-year cycle, with four elements on each Sunday, and three elements during daily Mass.

3 year cycle

The lectionaries (both Catholic and RCL versions) are organized into three-year cycles of readings. The years are designated A, B, or C. Each yearly cycle begins on the first Sunday of Advent (the last Sunday of November or first Sunday of December). Year B follows year A, year C follows year B, then back again to A. We are currently (November 28, 2010) in Year A (The Gospel of St. Matthew.).

• Year A: Gospel of Matthew (November 2010 through 2011)
• Year B: Gospel of Mark (December 2011 through 2012)
• Year C: Gospel of Luke (December 2012 through 2013)

The Gospel of John is read throughout Easter, and is used for other liturgical seasons including Advent, Christmas, and Lent where appropriate.

Source:  Wikipedia contributors, "Lectionary," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lectionary&oldid=437643960 (accessed July 13, 2011). 

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