The Word of God Sunday
The Word of God Sunday is devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God. We will celebrate it in Australia for the first time on 7 February. So our podcast, The Revolution of Tenderness, will consider the Word of God in Catholic Social Teaching. With help from Scripture scholars, we will explore passages of Scripture that are quoted in Catholic Social Teaching documents.
Episode 1 with Professor Mary Coloe
In the first episode of this series, Professor Mary Coloe helps us to explore the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. She then sets the parable of the Good Samaritan in the outback. Along the way we learn to reflect on Scripture as though it were a murder mystery! Furthermore, Mary leads us into a deeper understanding of The Word of God as a title for Jesus. And she expands on the meaning of becoming flesh.
Episode 2 with Dr Emmanuel Nathan
In the second episode of the series, Dr Emmanuel Nathan explores Luke 4:18-19. It tells the story of Jesus reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah in the temple. Emmanuel explains that by doing this, Jesus places himself in the tradition of the prophets. Jesus announces that he has been sent to bring good news to the poor. In the post resurrection story of the travelers on the road to Emmaus, we see how the apostles have taken on this mission too.
Why these passages?
Matthew 20:1 -16 tells the story of the laborers in the vineyard. It provides the framework for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement 2017-2018, Everyone’s Business: Developing an inclusive and sustainable economy.
Luke 10: 25-37 tells the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. We highlight it because Pope Francis devoted a whole chapter in Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) to it. It was also provided the theological foundation for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement 2019-2020, Making it Real: Genuine human encounter in our digital world. And it is quoted at the beginning of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement 2018-2019, A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land.
Luke 4: 18-19 shows Jesus announcing his mission to bring good news to the poor. Hence many social justice organisations reference this text in setting out their own mission statements.
More Resources
You can access homily notes, liturgy notes, prayer of the faithful, music suggestions, reflections, a bulletin notice and graphics for the Word of God Sunday on the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference website here.