Servant of the Word
Lectionary Commentary
Lectionary Commentary
(Volume I of the Lectionary for Mass [Sundays, Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord])
(Volumes II & III of the Lectionary for Mass)
(Volumes II & III of the Lectionary for Mass)
Volume IV Index (Texts for Commons, Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs, Votive Masses and Masses for the Dead)
Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This commentary was originally written in the form of a daily exercise in exegesis. It is not a scholarly work but rather an attempt by a simple minister of the Church to capture a glimpse of the Lord as he reveals Himself in the Word. The scope of this work was to develop a set of commentaries and reflections for all three Sunday Cycles (A, B, & C), Years I & II of the Daily Readings and the Feasts, Solemnities, and Memorials celebrated by the Church. I began writing on February 1, 2006 and through various iterations in format continue to this day.
I have completed the original goal with the exception of combinations of dates and assigned readings that have not occurred. I was asked by a reader if there was a place to find all of what I had written based on the book of the Bible in which the passage occurred. This started me on the path I now follow.
I have relied heavily on a number of references as I examined the daily readings in the Lectionary for Mass. These include; The Jerome Biblical Commentary (1966 Edition), The Navarre Bible, and The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. I have attempted to cite these works in the footnotes when I borrowed significant sections.
This commentary is a work in progress! I started compiling the daily commentaries at the beginning of Advent 2010. It is my way of helping my brothers and sisters who, like me have a love of the Sacred Scripture and wish to have a systematic resource for delving more deeply into the use made of it in liturgy. The major indexes were completed by January 2014.
I point out that I am NOT a scripture scholar and there are, no doubt, errors, both typographical and factual in what I have written. I am trying to review each passage as it is included but that is a challenging task given the volume and complexity of cross referencing and indexing that must be done. I invite you who are using this text to notify me when these errors are found, and I will correct them.
One final note about the inclusion of the readings. The USCCB holds the copyrights for the New American Bible and I was denied permission to re-publish these readings unless I entered an agreement with them and charged an appropriate fee. I understand the need for this stance and my Bishop has indicated that fees for re-publishing the readings is a needed source of income for the USCCB’s work. For this reason, this commentary is restricted to private individuals and Clergy. The readings may not be published for general distribution without permission of USCCB. My commentary and reflections on the other hand I offer as a gift from God to God and his servants.
Structure and Contents
The Servant of the Word Project has five parts; The Supplemental Bench, The Memorial Bench, Servant of the Word (originally titled Deacon’s Bench), Servant of the Word II (SOW II) and the SOW II Commentary.
The Supplemental Bench is a repository for the readings as they are found in the Lectionary for Mass. These readings also contain “back links” to the entries in either Servant of the Word or Servant of the Word II sections. Most entries in this section are also found at temporary links at the USCCB and Universalis (Universalis is the source for the readings as found in the Jerusalem Bible). The temporary links “time out” after a short period of time.
The Memorial Bench is a compilation or readings, commentaries and reflections on Feasts, Solemnities, and Memorials. When there are multiple options offered for a given day, this is where the second or third options reside.
Servant of the Word is the public Blog where I initially published. As you can see from the final entry, I was asked to stop publishing the Lectionary readings in this domain. The Servant of the Word II is the private continuation of the daily commentaries and reflections. It is not searchable and therefore not useful as a reference volume.
The SOW II Commentary is a synthesis of the commentaries coupled with a “wired” index to the readings along with a second “wired” index to the Psalms and Canticles. The Commentary is broken down into Old Testament and New Testament. Each Book entry contains the complete index for references to that Book of the Bible as used in the Lectionary for Mass. Each sub-entry contains all of the references to that particular entry and is linked through the “Context” heading to the Supplemental Bench or the Memorial Bench.
A Note on Hypertext Links to the NAB
On August 9th 2011, the USCCB launched a new version of its on-line New American Bible. This new version reduced the function all of the scripture links in the SOW Commentary. When they were first inserted, they took the reader to the Book, Chapter, and Verse of the citation. In their older form, they now only go to Book and Chapter. I am in the process of re-entering all of these links in the new format. Please bear with me; it is a long process and there are no short cuts.
I do not know if this work will ever find its way into the hands of the students of the word or preachers of the word for which it is intended because of the copyright issues. For anyone able to use it in its present form and location I invite you to share my love affair with scripture and the Church and to use this work to the greater glory of God, its true author.
Pax,
Deacon Jim Miles
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
Diocese of Lansing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
