Fat Tuesday: Preaching the First Reading

Posted by admin on March 2, 2010 under 2. Fat Tuesday |

This Sunday, our chapel uses the readings from the Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle A because of the scrutiny that will take place during the liturgy. Rather than offer comments on the readings this week and forcing the choice between A and C, I thought I’d offer some thoughts on preaching the first reading.

Among the many liturgical initiatives that came from the Second Vatican Council, the call for a fuller reading of the Bible at Mass–especially incorporating readings from the Old Testament–realizes a cultural shift as important as the use of the vernacular.  Not only did the expansion of the lectionary give Catholics a greater appreciation of the Word of God, but along with Nostra aetate it signaled a renewed respect for our “elder brothers in the faith,” the Jewish people.

The rubric used by the drafting committee for choosing readings from the Old Testament give priority to the gospel reading. The first reading is chosen for how it connects to the gospel. Preachers tend to follow this rubric and focus on the gospel text and use the first reading as a gloss. But the GIRM clarifies that the homily can be based on any of the three readings, in addition to the feast celebrated or on any text of the Mass. What happens when the first reading becomes the focal point of the homily?

In my experience, what happens is that rather than using the first reading to explicate the gospel, the first reading becomes a necessary context for understanding the gospel reading. The gospel passage is returned to the Jewish theological and cultural milieu of which it is an integral part.  When the theology of the first reading is given its due, the paradigm shifts a bit but the result is a richer appreciation of the gospel. By preaching on the first reading, we gain a healthy modeling of the relationship between Old Testament and New Testament as well as between Jews and Christians that is  consistent with the goals of the council as expressed in Sacrosanctum concilium and Nostra aetate. It is always a challenge as a Christian to preach the first reading, by giving the theology of the Old Testament full credit, but I often hear much appreciation for both the explication and the vibrancy it adds to the homily.

Fr. Peter Walsh, CSC is assistant chaplain at Saint Thomas More, the Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University.