If you are a Catholic, you should know this and be informed…
SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD
The Sunday of the Word of God is an annual commemoration in the Catholic Church taking place on the third Sunday in Ordinary Time, during January. Pope Francis established this celebration with his motu proprio, *Aperuit illis*, which was published on 30 September 2019. The document stated that "the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God." The celebration first took place on 26 January in 2020.
The title of the papal document, "Aperuit illis", is taken from Luke's Gospel (24:45), where the Evangelist describes how the Risen Jesus appeared to two of his disciples on their way to Emmaus, and how “he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
Pope Francis issued this directive in consequence of his intention to set aside "a Sunday given over entirely to the word of God, so as to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in that constant dialogue between the Lord and his people" which he announced at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy, 2015–2016.
Tomorrow, SUNDAY, is the day for THE WORD OF GOD, what is expected of us?
The celebration is to remind us of the centrality of the Word of God, that is, the Bible in our lives as Catholics.
By this celebration, we all are encouraged to:
👉🏼1. Own the Word (Bible).
👉🏼2. Study the Word.
👉🏼3. Meditate on the Word.
👉🏼4. Celebrate the Word.
👉🏼5. Live the Word.
👉🏼6. Share the Word with others.
Without the above, we cannot possibly claim to know Jesus Christ, who is the WORD made FLESH (cf. Jn 1:14).
We cannot claim to be true Christians nor true Catholics.
St. Jerome affirms: “IGNORANCE of the Scriptures is Ignorance of CHRIST."
Stay blessed.
