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‍A new edition of the Lectionary, the book which contains the readings which are proclaimed at Mass, will come into use in England and Wales this weekend.

At the Second Vatican Council, the Lectionary was revised so that more of the treasures of Scripture would be heard in the Mass – prior to the Council only 3% of the Gospel of Mark was heard, now 96% is read. One consequence of this was that the Lectionary was, once more, a separate volume separated from the prayer texts of the Mass.

The Lectionary is changing this year as part of the continuing process of revising liturgical translations. The process began with the Roman Missal in 2011 and has continued with all the other liturgical texts. The new Lectionary will use the English Standard Version – Catholic Edition of the Bible and the Abbey Psalter. The changes are intended to make the biblical translations more faithful to the original languages, biblical scholarship, and to provide a text for use in a liturgical setting that is more proclaimable and, where appropriate, more inclusive.

The God Who Speaks project has produced a new Lectionary-Scripture Formation Resource to help parishes and schools deepen their love of Mass, the Bible and living the Gospel in daily life. Click the button below to download it.