It is when we experience and meet God in many different but interconnected ways – but especially when we listen to and ponder the inspired word of God – that we discover and reaffirm our true identity. Being made in the image and likeness of God, that identity originates in God and guides us throughout this earthly life as we journey back to God.
The purpose of this book is to provide readers with a greater appreciation of the lectionary’s first readings which are proclaimed during Year A of the church’s three-year liturgical cycle. A series of reflections on those readings is presented for each Sunday and for selected solemnities and feast days.
The reflections focus on the crucial significance of the word of God, and on its life-giving and liberating message for everyday life. They will be helpful to clergy and laity wishing to engage more fully with the sacred scriptures, and will be especially useful for preachers, members of prayer groups, Bible-study classes and lectio divina gatherings preparing for the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word on the various Sundays and feast days.
Hopefully, the reflections presented in this book will inspire readers to develop their own thoughts on, and responses to, the numerous practical lessons of the first readings in Year A. Written predominantly, but not solely, with a Catholic readership in mind, the book may also appeal to Christians from other traditions.
