The Word is Near You, On Your Lips and in Your Heart

The reflections in this book are based predominantly on the gospel readings for the weekdays of the coming liturgical year, 2023/24, with occasional references to the first reading. They follow the sequence of the weekdays of the liturgical year, beginning with the Monday of the first week of Advent on the 4^th of December. In the course of the liturgical year, the gospel readings present us with a significant selection of the words and deeds of Jesus from all four gospels. In and through these gospel readings we encounter the living word of the risen Lord to his church. There is rich fare here to nourish our faith life and to help us to grow in our knowledge and love of the Lord. These short reflections attempt to listen to the gospel readings on their own terms while showing how they can continue to speak to our lives today.

Many people feel drawn to basing their prayer on the Scriptures, in particular the gospels. It is hoped that these reflections will serve as a help to prayer. They may also be of service to priests who seek to offer a short reflection on the gospel reading of the day in the context of the Eucharist. Where there is a weekday Liturgy of the Word, with or without Holy Communion, they can be read as a reflection on the readings. On most week days, the same gospel reading is proclaimed in the church throughout the world. To read and reflect upon the gospels for the weekdays of the liturgical year is to go on a spiritual journey with the universal church.Those who travel this journey will discover that the Lord is very near to them in and through his word. Our baptismal calling is to allow the Lord's word to take root in our hearts and to bear fruit in our lives.