The living Word

With the apostolic letter Aperuit Illis, promulgated September 30, 2019, on the liturgical feast of Saint Jerome, Pope Francis dedicated the third Sunday of Ordinary Time to celebrating the Word of God. He indicated that the purpose of this annual celebration would be to rediscover the foundational and normative value of the Word of God for the life of faith of every baptised person and of the whole Church. Pope Francis’ decision has a two-fold meaning. Firstly, Francis made the decision at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, as if to underline the close relationship between the experience of God’s tender forgiveness and listening trustingly to his Word. Secondly, the ecumenical and interreligious significance of the celebration strengthens our ties with the Jewish people and with all Christians, reminding us that the Word of ...