What’s the reason for the readings? Why read Old Testament? Psalms? Gospel?
During the Mass, we usually hear three readings from Scripture. The first one comes from the Old Testament, as does the psalm in response. In the second century, a theologian named Marcion claimed the Old Testament was irrelevant because it portrayed a different god than the New Testament. The Church declared this a heresy and affirmed the Old Testament as crucial to understanding who Jesus is. The second reading at Mass comes from one of the Apostles, the earliest followers of Jesus. Then the Gospel reading, the main feature, is literally Christ the King speaking to us himself. To fully understand the scriptures, we must read the Gospels in light of the Old Testament . . . through the psalms respond to the Old Testament reading, we speech back to God in song.
Video length 11 minutes.
Questions for Reflection:
- Why is the Old Testament critical to the Christian faith?
- How is the fact that our faith is apostolic shown in the Liturgy of the Word?
- What insights on the Mass have you received so far from the videos in this series?