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CLEAR
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KEY TERM • Liturgy of the Word – The liturgical year. There are
part of the Mass that three cycles of readings for
DEFINITIONS contains the readings, the Liturgy of the Word.
• Penitential Act – An action
homily, profession of faith
that signifies a repentance
and prayers of petition.
of sin; one of the
Introductory Rites of Mass
• Lectionary – The book
that predisposes a person to
containing the cycle
receive God’s grace in Word
of readings for a given
and Sacrament

GOD SPEAKS
• Every Sunday you hear God speak, and how well you hear God
speak isn’t dependent on the quality of the homily, how “on” or
off-key the music sounds, or whether or not there is a crying baby
at Mass.

• At a Sunday Mass, we hear four readings from Sacred Scripture,

and we know that Sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God.
Take that in – every time you hear or read from the Bible, you 2 Timothy 3:16
are hearing God’s voice. This past Sunday, you heard God clearly
speak at least four times.
TEACHING

• It can be easy to get so caught up in distractions at Mass that we

miss the voice of God. Each week we have an opportunity to be
impacted by the life-changing power of God’s word, have we let it
take root in us this week?

• Ask the teens to share one or two things they remember from the
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readings and insight they received from it. Some may be able to answer
this question, but others may not even remember the readings at all.

• The author of the Letter to the Hebrews says, “the word of

Hebrews 4:12
God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword,

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 penetrating even between soul and spirit…able to discern
reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

• The word of God is powerful and life changing – but we have to

be ready to receive it. We prepare ourselves to hear God’s word
and receive Christ in the Eucharist through what are called the
Introductory Rites at Mass.

TO THE MOUNTAIN
• After the Israelites escape from Egypt, they are brought by God to
the mountain. We remember that the reason the Israelites were
Exodus 10:24-26 brought out of Egypt was so they could be free to worship God.
They are brought to the mountain to do just that.

• God tells Moses that he is going to make a covenant with the people
and that he will be speaking with Moses and the people. Before
Exodus 19:3-11
this can happen, though, the people are required to “sanctify
themselves.”

• The people needed to prepare themselves as they entered into

worship. In order to hear the Word of God, their hearts needed to
be ready.

• The opening prayers and songs are part of the Introductory Rites
Sacrosanctum of Mass. People in the pews often fail to see their importance.
Concilium 24 These moments called “rites” help prepare our heart and mind for
GIRM 46 the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the
Eucharist.

GATHERED TO WORSHIP
• Our preparation for Mass begins as we leave the house and begin
our trip to the church. We begin to focus our thoughts and our
heart toward the prayer that we will engage in.

• Once we arrive at Mass, we take time to pray and reflect on what

needs, petitions, joys, and struggles we will bring to Christ in the
liturgy. This time of prayer allows us to break from the world we
live in day-to-day, and place ourselves in God’s time.

• Keep in mind that both of these things happen before Mass has
technically started. What are you doing right before Mass? Are

TEACHING
you rushing around getting ready, running late, or driving with the
radio blasting? Next week, try to focus your heart on Mass before
Mass starts – you will find it is easier to pay attention and fully
enter into prayer.
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GIRM 47-48 • Mass begins as the congregation stands and the priest enters. We
CCC 1348 stand out of readiness for what is about to happen in the liturgy.
A hymn may be sung as an opening prayer.

• The priest will enter and will reverence the altar with a bow, and
GIRM 49 then he will kiss the altar. If he is using incense, he may even
incense the altar.

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 • This is done to show respect for the altar, which is the focal point
of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The altar represents Christ; it also
CCC 1182
stands as a sacred place of the holy sacrifice, one that will hold the
Body and Blood of Christ – it becomes a throne for the King.

• The priest will begin the Mass with the sign of the cross, and then
will greet everyone. He may use this time to introduce the Mass, GIRM 50
a saint that the Mass is commemorating, or to draw out a theme
from the readings.

CONTRITE HEARTS, SANCTIFIED SOULS

• The priest will invite everyone to take a moment to think about
GIRM 51
areas where they have fallen into sin, and lead them in a prayer of
Key Word
penance. This is called the Penitential Act.

• The Penitential Act allows the congregation to seek God’s mercy

and forgiveness for any venial sins that they have committed
during the week so their hearts can be better disposed to hear CCC 1862-1863
God’s word and receive grace, just as the Israelites needed to
sanctify themselves at the mountain.

• One of the prayers that can be used during the Penitential Act
is called the Confiteor. It expresses sorrow for our sins and asks
forgiveness from God and from the community. In this prayer we
ask that the community on earth and in heaven pray that we have
the grace to avoid sin, and live in God’s love. Listen to the words
we pray during the Confiteor:

• I confess, to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I

have greatly sinned. In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have If a screen and projector or
done and what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, are set up, display the text
through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I ask the Blessed Mary, for the Confiteor
Ever-Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.

• It is important to note that the Penitential Act is not the same

as receiving absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If a CCC 1856
person is in a state of mortal sin, he or she needs to receive the CCC 1385
Sacrament of Reconciliation in order to be absolved of that sin.

• This would become part of his or her preparation and sanctification

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prior to coming to Mass, and it is for this reason that many parishes
offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturdays.

• After the Penitential Act, the Kyrie Eleison is sung or spoken. It can
be spoken in Greek or in English, the English being, “Lord, Have
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Mercy.” It is taken from the prayer of the tax collector in the Gospel Luke 18:13
of Luke – again, we acknowledge our sinfulness and God’s mercy
as we prepare our hearts to receive God’s Word.

• The Gloria is sung or spoken immediately following the Penitential Luke 2:13-14
Act and Kyrie Eleison. This is the hymn the angels sang to the GIRM 53

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 shepherds at the birth of Christ. We give God praise with this
hymn, in thanksgiving for his love, mercy, and the gift of Christ.

• The Gloria is something we should proclaim with our whole heart.

Imagine all of the praise you would heap on your favorite celebrity
if you met him or her, or think about being in love with someone
so much you want to tell them every great quality he or she has.
This is what we do in the Gloria, we sing about God’s goodness
and praise Him.

• The final part of the Introductory Rites is called “The Collect,”

GIRM 54 and it is the opening prayer that calls us to be mindful of God’s
2 Corinthians 13:13 presence. The priest usually reads this prayer from a book. This
prayer, according to ancient tradition, is usually addressed to God
the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

• After this prayer, the congregation and priest are seated and ready
to receive God’s Word in the Sacred Scripture.

WORD AMONG US
CCC 1154 • The Liturgy of the Word is a crucial part in the celebration of
GIRM 55 Mass. It is made up of four readings from Sacred Scripture, along
Sacrosanctum with the chants or songs that occur between them. The homily,
Concilium 24 profession of faith, and prayers of petition help develop and
Key Term conclude it.

• The readings are chosen for Mass in an ordered and particular

way. All of the readings are found in a book called the Lectionary.
GIRM 57 When you listen carefully, you will notice that there is often a
Key Term theme that runs through the readings, especially the First Reading
and the Gospel.

• There are three yearly cycles of readings that repeat. This is done
so that we can be brought fully into the life of Christ. In fact, if you
CCC 1103
just attend Sunday Mass for three years, you will hear over half of
CCC 1171
the Bible. If you go to daily Mass, every day, for three years you will
hear nearly all of it.

• All of the readings at Mass are read from the ambo or lectern. This
GIRM 58
is a place of proclamation of God’s Word, so it is usually placed
CCC 1184
higher than the congregation. (GIRM 58, CCC 1184)

• There are four readings at Mass: The First Reading usually comes TEACHING
CCC 1094 from the Old Testament, except during the Easter season when it
comes from the Acts of the Apostles.
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• The next reading is the Psalm Response. Psalms are a collection of

GIRM 61 songs in Sacred Scripture. For this reason, this reading is generally
sung and we sing a response.

• The Second Reading comes from one of the letters of the New
Testament. These letters contain instruction for Christian life.

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 • The fourth reading is the Gospel, which is the high point of the
Liturgy of the Word. It contains the narrative and words of Christ,
Himself, so out of reverence we stand.

• Proclaiming the Gospel is a ministry that is given to those who

receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, so a deacon or priest will GIRM 59-60
always read from it.

• It is also the duty of the priest or deacon to offer a homily. The

homily is given to help us dive more deeply into the Sacred GIRM 65-66
Scriptures that were proclaimed and aid in our reflection. CCC 875
CCC 1102
• This whole time we have been immersed in God’s Word; we have CCC 1565
been hearing God’s voice. At this point in Mass, what are you
focused on? Have you been drifting through the readings? Thinking
about how the cantor sang the Psalm Response? Daydreaming
during the homily?

THE ONE THAT HAS EARS

• Our world is filled with a lot of noise, and many people that compete
for our attention. Some of that noise tries to sell us something,
some of it is just distracting, and some of it can actually harm us.

• It can be a challenge to hear God’s voice in all of that sound – but

we can hear it clearly every time we attend Mass. We just need to 1 Kings 19:12-13
focus our heart on God’s Word.

• There is a legend about St. Francis of Assisi: He was walking with

a friend in a crowded marketplace, filled with people talking,
shouting, buying and selling. He turned to his friend and said, “I
hear a cricket.”

• His friend replied, “Francis, you are crazy. It is so loud, there is no

way you can hear a cricket here.” Francis, unshaken by his friend
began to walk through the crowded streets to an alleyway, and
bending down picked up a tiny, chirping cricket.

• “Impossible!” his friend said. “Really?” Francis replied walking back

out into the marketplace. He reach into his pocket and took out
three small coins and tossed them up in the air. As they hit the
ground the tiny clinking of the metal on the pavement silenced
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everyone in the marketplace, as they fell to the ground to find the

coins.

• “See, friend,” Francis said, “we hear what we have tuned our ears
to hear.”
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• Mass allows us to tune our ears to the Word of God, and when we
do this we begin to hear God’s voice everywhere in our life – even
when it is noisy and crowded. This week, begin conditioning your
ears to hear God’s voice – the one voice that matters.

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LOUD AND CLEAR BIBLE STUDY
BIBLE STUDY
PRAY
Begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit for open
hearts to receive God’s Word and for the ability to
be attentive to any insights that come from the
discussion.
READ
Begin by having three teens each read one of the
following:
• Hebrews 4:12
• 2 Timothy 3:14-17
• Isaiah 55:8-11
DISCUSS
• What do these three Scripture passages tell us
about the Word of God? Why is Sacred Scripture
important? What can we use it for?
• How much do you understand about Sacred
Scripture? Do you have a favorite Scripture
passage? If so, what is it and why is it important
to you?
• According to these Scripture passages, why
should we be making an effort to read Scripture
often? (If necessary, re-read Isaiah 55:8-11 here).
EXPLAIN
God’s mystery is immense, and His thoughts
and ways are above us. God does not want to
be distant from us; He wishes to be close to us.
He reveals Himself through his Word, so that we
can know his ways and understand who God is.
Sacred Scripture teaches us about God.
READ
Invite two additional teens to read:
• John 1:1-5
• Psalm 119:105
DISCUSS
• What does the Scripture passage from John tell
you about Jesus Christ? How does this relate
back to the passage from Isaiah? Since Jesus is
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the Word of God – what does this tell us about
Sacred Scripture?
• How can the Word of God bring light into
the dark areas of our life? Are there areas of
darkness that you have faced that God’s Word
has been able to bring light and life into?
EXPLAIN
There is no darkness that the light of Christ
cannot overcome; since we find Christ within the
Sacred Scripture, we can use it to help bring light
into our life as well. (Use this opportunity to share
a brief testimony about a particular passage from
the Bible that was able to bring light into a dark
time of your life.)
READ
Invite a teen to read Luke 8:11-15 and Galatians
5:22-23.
DISCUSS
• The parable of the sower and the seed discusses
how we receive God’s Word. Looking at the
parable again, which ground do you think you
are? Why?
• What does Galatians tell us about the “fruit”
that our life bears when we receive the Word of
God? Where do you need these things in your
life? How can the Word of God produce these
things in our lives?
EXPLAIN
BIBLE STUDY
At different times in our lives we may be more
or less receptive to the Word of God. We become
more receptive as we spend time in prayer and
seeking to draw closer to God. Allowing God’s
Word to take root in our life produces “fruit,” and
we can experience the fruits of the Spirit that St.
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Paul talked about in Galatians. These things are
the ultimate mark of a disciple of Christ.
PRAY
Invite a teen to close in prayer, asking God for
open hearts to receive His Word with joy.
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