As a so-called “cradle Catholic,” I’ve always known that the lectionary was laid out in an intentional way, and that the readings were combined around themes; I just didn’t always know what those themes were. Sometimes it was quite obvious — like when the Old Testament reading featured a prophecy and the Gospel reading recounted the fulfillment of said prophecy — but more often than not, I missed the deeper connection.
A few years ago, I became more and more curious about the connections between the readings at Mass. I suspected that there was genius that I was missing out on, like I was standing in front of a buffet table with the lights off: I couldn’t see the tremendous bounty that was right under my nose.
I already had a deep appreciation for Scripture. At the time, I was on a kick of learning about how linguistics and literary devices could give new depth and meaning to passages I’d read untold times before. It occurred to me that I could marry the two: I was already attending Mass and hearing these readings, why not use that as a format for study and get more out of Mass each Sunday?
I did some poking around on the Internet, and I found the lectionary-based Bible study from St. Charles Borremeo in Picayune, Mississippi, which I really liked. For a year or two, that scratched the itch. My suspicions were correct — I got so much more out of the Liturgy of the Word when I studied the readings in advance!
Then, on a Sunday in July 2010, I was sitting in the pew waiting for Mass to begin, thinking about what I’d learned in that week’s Bible study. I looked around, wondering how many other pew-dwellers might also enjoy the resource I’d found. My only wish was that I could somehow subscribe and have the study for each week delivered to my email inbox.
St. Charles ought to convert their Bible study into a weekly email for subscribers, I thought. Or, even, better, they should convert the study to a blog format, so that it’s indexed and searchable. It would be so easy to do! Think of the people they could reach!
And then a very strange thought popped into my head. YOU DO IT.
What?! I had a full life – a baby, a husband, a full-time job. My mother had Stage IV renal cancer, and my dad needed help and support to care for her. I didn’t need more to do.
Then again, I had launched a blog a few months before; I had the skills and knowledge to pull it off. No training required.
YOU DO IT.
I got a little light-headed. I started to sweat. Was this what it was like to be called?
I scratched around with the concept, and got excited about a few ideas. But then I forced myself to set the whole thing aside, thinking I had lost my mind. I don’t have time for this, I thought. Not now. You’re stretching yourself too far.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling I had sitting in that pew. I had been physically impacted by the idea of this blog, and my pulse quickened just thinking back on that day. If being called felt that electric, what would ignoring a call feel like? I didn’t want to find out.
It took me a while to get it up and running, and I’ve had to work out a few kinks along the way, but it’s finally here. I hope you enjoy it!
–Laura
Laura writes about food and life at www.whitefluffyicing.com and welcomes your comments, suggestions, and general feedback at whitefluffyicing (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sunday Readings 