The Word that dwells among us
Opinion
The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is not a distant echo from the past, but a living presence that continues to speak into the life of the Church today.
For Catholics in Australia, the forthcoming publication of a new Lectionary based on The Revised New Jerusalem Bible, hopefully by 2028, marks a deeply significant moment in the life of faith. It is an opportunity to renew our reverence for Scripture, to hear anew the voice of the Good Shepherd, and to deepen our commitment to being a people shaped by the Word.
A Fresh Voice for a Living Word
The Revised New Jerusalem Bible (RNJB) represents a fresh, faithful and poetic rendering of the sacred texts. Grounded in the tradition of the Jerusalem Bible and its earlier ‘new’ edition, the RNJB offers an English translation that is both beautiful and accurate, striving for dignity in public proclamation and clarity in private reading. It is this translation that will form the basis of the new Lectionary approved for use in Australia and other English-speaking regions in the coming years.
This revision is not simply a matter of updating language or style. Rather, it is a renewal of our ecclesial commitment to ‘the table of the Word’ which, alongside the ‘table of the Eucharist’, nourishes the people of God each Sunday and solemn feasts and indeed each day.
Pope Francis repeatedly affirmed the necessity of placing Scripture at the heart of the Church’s life and mission. In Evangelii Gaudium, he wrote: “We do not blindly seek God, or wait for him to speak to us first, for ‘God has already spoken, and there is nothing further that we need to know, which has not been revealed’.”
The revision of the Lectionary also brings with it an opportunity to harmonise the readings with the new Grail Psalms and with current scholarship on biblical translation and liturgical proclamation. It invites renewed catechesis on the Scriptures and a fresh emphasis on the ministries of lector and homilist, whose role is to mediate the Word with reverence, clarity and prayer.
Liturgical encounter with Christ
A Lectionary is not a mere anthology of Bible readings; it is a theological instrument, shaped by the Church’s wisdom, to enable a liturgical encounter with Christ in the Word. The new Lectionary will retain the three-year Sunday cycle and the two-year weekday cycle, enriched by texts that reflect the full breadth of salvation history and the Church’s living tradition, one of the most significant renewals of the liturgy definitively given at
Vatican II.
The deliberate choice to use The Revised New Jerusalem Bible speaks to a desire for a proclamation that is more accessible without losing theological and poetic depth. It balances fidelity to the original languages with a style that is suitable for both public reading and private contemplation.
In the liturgy, the Word is not read for information but proclaimed for transformation. The Word of God, heard in community, becomes a living address to the People of God. As Dei Verbum (DV) teaches: “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.”
A Church formed by the Word
The reform and renewal of the Lectionary invites us to consider more deeply the role of Scripture in the life of every Catholic. While the Eucharist remains the source and summit of Christian life, it is through the Scriptures that we come to know Christ, to hear his voice and to be formed in his likeness.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by him, and thus to be conformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ, the “only Son from the Father” (Jn 1:14). It is the beginning of a new creation; a new creature is born, a new people comes to birth.” (Verbum Domini, §50)
The Word of God is not reserved for clergy or theologians. It belongs to the whole Church. The Council Fathers of Vatican II desired that ‘Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful’. (DV, §22). The new Lectionary is one way in which that vision becomes concrete. It provides us with a translation that speaks to contemporary ears while remaining faithful to the divine message.
Scripture and Synodality
The production of the new Lectionary also resonates with the current ecclesial journey of synodality. The Synod on Synodality has emphasised listening – to one another, and especially to the Spirit speaking through the Word. Scripture is foundational to discernment. To be a synodal Church is to be a listening Church, and no voice speaks more clearly or more faithfully than the voice of God in the Scriptures.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read how the early Church made decisions and discerned the Spirit’s movement in light of the Scriptures. That model still applies today. The new Lectionary, with its clearer language and improved theological renderings, offers a stronger foundation for communal discernment and spiritual listening.
A national moment of renewal
In this Jubilee Year and as the Church in Australia continues to receive the fruits of the Plenary Council and the synodal process, the new Lectionary can be a moment of national renewal. It invites catechists, liturgists, musicians, preachers and all the faithful to rediscover the richness of God’s Word.
There is also a missionary dimension to this renewal. In a culture increasingly shaped by secularism and digital noise, the Lectionary offers an enduring pattern of sacred speech.
It proclaims hope, truth, mercy and justice – not as abstract ideas but as the living Word made flesh in Jesus Christ.
Preparing the soil
This transition will not be without challenges. Parishes will need time and formation to embrace the new texts. Preachers will need to adjust to fresh language. Lectors will need training in pronunciation and emphasis. But above all, the hearts of the faithful must be prepared to receive the Word with openness and joy. Like the good soil in Jesus’ parable, we are invited to receive the Word, to nurture it, and to let it bear fruit (cf. Luke 8:4–15).
It also encourages the development of lectio divina, the ancient practice of sacred reading, in homes, schools and parish groups. It also means preparing for the purchase of these new volumes. If we start now it will be easier when 2028 come
around, we can start budgeting for it now.
This is not simply about changing a book; it is about renewing our hearts. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word does not return empty but accomplishes what it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:11).
We pray that this new Lectionary, grounded in the Revised New Jerusalem Bible, will accomplish just that – renewing the Australian Church’s encounter with the living Christ in the Scriptures.
Conclusion
‘The Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path’ (Psalm 119:105). In giving new form to the Lectionary, the Church in Australia is committing herself anew to walk that path with faith, clarity and joy.
May this new Lectionary open the hearts of the faithful to deeper communion with God and with one another so that, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts may burn within us as the Scriptures are opened to us (cf. Luke 24:32).
For God is good, good indeed.
