Episode 3074: Remain in Me: Scripture's Thematic Depth not Fractured Liturgy - Morning Episode

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Book Recommendation of the Day
“The Life and Times of St. Boniface" by James Mann Williamson (1904)
This historical biography provides an in-depth look at the life and influence of Saint Boniface. It delves into his missionary work and the impact of the Benedictine Order on his life. The book has been reprinted and is available for purchase.
Before starting this mornings episode let me explain why the Church decided on what scripture readings would be used on any given day in the liturgical calendar.
The traditional Catholic Church (referring here to the pre-Vatican II liturgy, particularly the Tridentine Latin Mass codified by the Council of Trent and standardized by Pope St. Pius V in 1570) determined the Scripture readings for each day of the liturgical year with a careful and purposeful theological structure. Here’s how this developed and what principles guided the choices:

Historical Development:
1. Early Usage and Apostolic Tradition:
o In the early Church, readings were somewhat fluid and often based on local custom or episcopal decision.
o Over time, fixed patterns began to emerge, especially around major feasts like Easter and Christmas.
2. Fixing of the Roman Missal (Tridentine Reform):
o In response to Protestant innovations and to unify the liturgy, Pope Pius V issued the Roman Missal in 1570, drawing on centuries of Roman liturgical tradition.
o This missal formalized the one-year lectionary, assigning specific Epistles and Gospels to each Sunday, major feast day, and certain weekdays.
Liturgical Principles Behind the Readings:
1. Theological Harmony with the Liturgical Season:
o Readings reflect the thematic focus of each liturgical season:
 Advent: Prophecies and preparation for the Messiah.
 Christmas/Epiphany: Incarnation and manifestation.
 Lent: Conversion, temptation, Passion.
 Easter: Resurrection, sacraments, new life.
 Pentecost to end of liturgical year: Teachings of Christ, the growth of the Church, final judgment.
2. Typology and Continuity:
o Old and New Testament themes are matched typologically.
o For example: On the 1st Sunday of Lent, the Gospel is the Temptation of Christ (Matthew 4), paralleling the Church’s call to 40 days of fasting.
3. Pastoral and Catechetical Aim:
o The readings instruct the faithful in the dogmas of the faith and morals, reinforcing Church teaching through repetition each liturgical year.

4. Liturgical Rank:
o Sundays and major feasts have their own specific readings.
o Weekdays (ferias) often repeat the readings of the previous Sunday unless a saint’s feast or vigil intervenes.
Structure of Readings in the Traditional Roman Rite:
• One-Year Cycle: Unlike the post-Vatican II three-year cycle, the traditional lectionary is the same each year, giving it deep familiarity and spiritual rhythm.
• Two Readings per Mass:
o Epistle (from St. Paul or another apostolic letter).
o Gospel (from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John).
• No Old Testament Reading in most Masses, though prophecies appear in the Ember Days, Holy Saturday, and some feast vigils.
The selection of daily Scripture readings in the traditional Catholic Church is vitally important because the Mass is not merely a commemoration, but a participation in the eternal mysteries of Christ. The readings are carefully chosen to illuminate those mysteries, to instruct the faithful, and to dispose their souls to receive grace. Here's why the daily selection matters so much:
It Teaches the Fullness of the Faith
Each day’s Scripture reading communicates doctrine, moral teaching, or spiritual truth. The Church acts as a Divine Teacher, ensuring that over the course of the liturgical year, the faithful are exposed to the core truths of salvation.
St. Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
It Unites the Church in One Voice
In the traditional Latin Mass, the same readings are proclaimed across the world on the same day. This creates a universal rhythm of prayer, uniting the entire Church Militant in the same Scriptural meditation, reinforcing the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ.
It Prepares the Soul for the Sacrifice
The readings are not isolated. They prepare the soul to encounter Christ in the Sacrifice of the Altar, where the same Jesus of Scripture becomes present in the Eucharist. The readings act as a spiritual purification, clearing the heart and mind to receive Our Lord with devotion.
St. Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
It Immerses the Faithful in Sacred Time
The lectionary follows the liturgical calendar, which is not just a timeline it is a living participation in Christ’s life: His Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. The readings help immerse the faithful in this sacred time, drawing them into the mystery of redemption.
It Offers Moral and Spiritual Guidance
Each day’s readings often provide instruction on how to live virtuously, fight sin, practice charity, endure suffering, or deepen one’s prayer life. This is crucial in a world full of moral confusion.
It Kindles Devotion and Spiritual Growth
Like divine seeds, the words of Scripture planted each day grow in the soul. Through regular, faithful exposure, the readings:
• Enkindle deeper love for God,
• Promote conversion,
• Offer consolation during trials,
• Strengthen the will to do good.
It Guards Against Error
By meditating daily on Sacred Scripture as handed down and interpreted by Holy Mother Church, the faithful are protected from heresy, false interpretations, and modernist distortions.
The problem with the new liturgical calendar and its corresponding three-year cycle of Scripture readings in the Novus Ordo (post-Vatican II Mass) lies in how it fractures the traditional, organic structure of Scripture that the Church had handed down for over a millennium. Here's a breakdown of the major concerns, especially from a Traditional Catholic perspective:
PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW LECTIONARY AND LITURGICAL CALENDAR
1. Loss of Liturgical Unity and Continuity
• The traditional calendar was unchanging and universal, forming a stable spiritual rhythm through repetition every year.
• With the new lectionary, we now have three different readings for each Sunday across a three-year cycle (Years A, B, C), and two-year weekday cycles.
• This disrupts continuity and undermines the formation of the faithful in a cohesive and perennial spiritual tradition.
The traditional readings were not random they were theologically curated over centuries to match the seasons and feasts in profound harmony.
2. Loss of Typology and Thematic Depth
• The traditional structure emphasized typology how Old Testament events prefigured New Testament realities.
• In the Novus Ordo, Old Testament readings are more frequent but often loosely connected, if at all, to the Gospel or the feast being celebrated.
• This disorients the faithful, because the deep spiritual connections such as the Exodus prefiguring Baptism are obscured.

3. Suppression or Omission of Key Passages
• Some of the “hard sayings” of Jesus and the clear warnings about sin, judgment, hell, or moral doctrine have been removed or omitted.
o For example, 1 Corinthians 11:27–29, which warns against receiving the Eucharist unworthily, is absent from the new lectionary.
• The result is a sanitized, selective presentation of Scripture that favors pastoral sensitivity over doctrinal clarity.
4. Neglect of the Liturgical Year’s Theology
• In the traditional calendar, the readings built upon one another, developing the themes of each liturgical season like a catechism:
o Lent: Sin, penance, temptation.
o Easter: Resurrection, baptismal grace, life in Christ.
• The Novus Ordo readings tend to be more Bible-study focused and less liturgically integrated.

5. Disruption of Liturgical Catechesis
• Traditionally, repetition year after year allowed priests to preach on the same readings, and the faithful to become deeply familiar with them.
• The three-year cycle means that many readings are only heard once every three years limiting doctrinal imprinting and spiritual memory.
6. Fracturing of Catholic Identity Worldwide
• The older Roman Rite fostered universal Catholic identity wherever you went in the world, the same Gospel was read on Sunday.
• Now, depending on what year or even what optional memorial a parish celebrates, Catholics may be hearing entirely different Scripture, even on major feast days.
Traditional Catholic Perspective:
From a traditional view rooted in the teachings of saints and the organic development of the liturgy:
• The traditional lectionary was not just a functional tool it was a sacred inheritance, a divinely guided structure.
• It formed saints, preserved orthodoxy, and was inseparable from the Mass of the Ages.
• The Novus Ordo reformers acted with a modern mindset, believing they could "improve" the Church’s ancient and Spirit-led liturgy through committee decisions and pastoral pragmatism.
“Innovation is not reform.” Pope St. Pius X
“What earlier generations held as sacred remains sacred and great for us too.” Pope Benedict XVI
Conclusion:
The selection of daily Scripture readings is not arbitrary it is sacramental in character, catechetical in purpose, and mystical in power. In the traditional Catholic Church, these readings are part of the divine pedagogy that leads souls from the darkness of sin to the light of eternal life.
Pedagogy means the method and practice of teaching, especially as it relates to how knowledge, values, or skills are passed from teacher to student.
It comes from the Greek word paidagogos, which referred to a servant who led children to school and supervised them — literally “child leader.”
In broader terms, pedagogy refers to:
• The philosophy of education (what is being taught and why),
• The approach or style of instruction (lecture, discussion, imitation),
• The structure of learning (how material is ordered, repeated, or reinforced).
“To become adult Christians you must learn familiarity with the Scriptures. But unless you devote time to it, you will never become familiar. For anyone who is not familiar with the Scriptures is not only ignorant, but is in fact the fall of all misfortune.”
— St. John Chrysostom, Homily 2 on Matthew
He emphasized that Scripture is not optional, especially when proclaimed by the Church in the Mass it is the very voice of God, intended to sanctify, guide, and guard the faithful day by day.
“Remain in Me: Perseverance and the Crown of Glory”
Holy Mother Church to remind us of the call to endure in virtue, even amid the trials of this passing world.

Epistle: Wisdom 5:1–5
“Then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours. These seeing it shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the suddenness of their unexpected salvation. Saying within themselves, repenting, and groaning for anguish of spirit: These are they, whom we had sometime in derision, and for a parable of reproach. We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour. Behold how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints.”
Reflection:
This reading from the Book of Wisdom is a vindication of the just, who, though persecuted and mocked by the world, are revealed in glory at the end. It is a reminder that God’s justice will prevail, and those who endure in virtue, unseen and often misunderstood, will be exalted. This is a powerful encouragement to live not for the approval of the world but for the glory of God.

Gospel: John 15:1–7
“I am the true vine; and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me, that beareth not fruit, He will take away; and every one that beareth fruit, He will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. … Abide in Me, and I in you. … If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither.”
Reflection:
Our Lord calls Himself the true vine, and we are the branches. The Christian life is not a one-time decision but a lifelong abiding in Christ. To abide is to remain especially through pruning, trials, and purifications. If we are not bearing fruit the fruit of charity, penance, fidelity, and virtue we risk being cut off. But if we endure, the Father will prune us, often painfully, so we may become even more fruitful.
May 14: St. Boniface of Tarsus, Martyr
Today, we honor St. Boniface of Tarsus, a Roman citizen and former libertine who, through conversion and repentance, embraced martyrdom in the third century. His life reminds us that repentance is always possible, and heroic sanctity is not limited to those born pious, but to those who respond to grace. He died for the Faith during the persecutions of Diocletian, a fitting model of the Epistle’s declaration that the world mocks the saints until God exalts them.
Quotes & Themes for Meditation
• St. John Vianney: “If you are united to Jesus Christ, you will flourish like the vine that bears much fruit.”
• St. Alphonsus Liguori: “Those who do not pray do not persevere. Those who persevere pray. Perseverance is the grace of graces.”
• Theme: Abiding in Christ requires purification, and the Christian must accept the pruning of sufferings with the joy of knowing it leads to eternal fruit.
• Theme: Earthly shame is often the cloak of future glory. To stand firm in the truth today is to shine in the radiance of the Resurrection tomorrow.

Conclusionary Prayer
Let us now close in prayer.
O Eternal Father,
You sent us Your Son, the True Vine, to whom we are called to cling with every fiber of our being. Grant us, we beseech Thee, the grace to abide in Him in patience, humility, and fidelity. Through the intercession of Saint Boniface and all holy martyrs, strengthen us to endure the pruning of Thy Divine Will, that we may bear fruit unto everlasting life.
We offer You this day in union with the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May we never be severed from the Vine, but remain rooted in grace until our last breath.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Boniface, pray for us.
Mary, Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.