The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 25, 2026
Today is a good day to celebrate the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate, but not because Lent is a few weeks away. Pope Francis designated the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as the Sunday of the Word of God. Connecting with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, this annual observance deepens our love for Scripture and reminds us of this common foundation we share with not only other Christians but also the Jewish people.
In the Rite for Entrance, once a seeker has been consecrated to Christ through the signing of their forehead and senses with the cross, they are led into the church “to partake with us at the table of God’s word” (OCIA 60) as the people sing Psalm 34.
Through ritual, word, and action, these new catechumens who seek the Lord with us will be nourished by the living Word of God for the next full liturgical year as they taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Then there is an often-overlooked rubric at OCIA 61. After the new catechumens have taken their seats within the assembly, the presider says a few words to them about the dignity of God’s word. Then, “a book of the Sacred Scriptures is carried in procession and set in a place of honor and, as circumstances so suggest, may also be incensed.”
Through ritual, word, and action, these new catechumens who seek the Lord with us will be nourished by the living Word of God for the next full liturgical year as they taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
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