Pope Francis

At the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, Pope Francis had asked to envision a Sunday entirely dedicated to the Word of God. The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, which falls this year on Jan. 26, will be devoted from now on to the Word of God.

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“The Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division towards unity. The word of God unites believers and makes them one people.” (Pope Francis, Aperuit Illis)

In his letter, Aperuit Illis, the Pope wishes for this Sunday to be devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” He sees there an opportunity for the Church members to strengthen their bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. The Word of God is, indeed, a common good meant to unite believers, not to divide them.

Prions en Église and the Société catholique de la Bible offer several tools to help lead people in their reflection on that day of renewal, as we respond to Pope Francis’s wish: “The various communities will find their own ways to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity.”