2025 Sunday of the Word of God "I hope in your Word" (Ps. 119)

1/15/2025

As part of the Jubilee of Hope, this Sixth Annual Sunday of the Word of God (January 26 2025) invites us to reflect on the theme: “I hope in your Word” (Ps 119:74). God’s Word is steadfast and powerful, accomplishing all it promises (Isaiah 55:11). In Jesus, the living Word of God (John 1:14), we find our ultimate hope (1 Tim 1:1). God’s presence is inseparable from His Word, offering an unfailing source of hope and renewal. In this year of hopeful Jubilee, open the Scriptures and rediscover the life-changing power of God’s promise.

The celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God invites parish communities to embrace the living and transformative power of Scripture, with this 2025 Handbook serving as a guide to deepen its celebration within the Jubilee Year.

Download Liturgical & Pastoral Handbook

The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible. Hence, Saint Jerome could rightly claim: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." ~Pope Francis, Aperuit Illis, 1.

Make Scripture a part of everyday life

Here are some practical tips from the Dicastery of Evangelization (Vatican) to encourage the love of Scripture:

Carry the Word with you, physically or on your phone (e.g. Pocket Bible, YOUCAT-Daily, Amen, Hallow, Living With Christ, The Bible in a Year)
Enthrone the Bible in Your Home
Pray with the Bible
- Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
  Have you ever had the incredible experience of prayerfully reading the Word of God? Lectio Divina is a very effective method of prayer and spiritual formation, for spiritual growth and communion with God through His Word. More
  - Seeds of the Word Lectio Divina Compendium 2025

The Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is essential for integrating Scripture into daily life. Sacrosanctum Concilium states, “By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God… it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself… addresses to the Father” (SC, 84). Pastors are urged to promote the communal celebration of Vespers, especially on Sundays and solemn feasts, while encouraging the laity to pray the divine office together or individually (SC, 100).
- How to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours
- Divine Office
Bible Group or Study

Meditated Rosary
Another source for praying with Scripture is the variety of traditional Catholic prayers, such as the Rosary. It is an evangelical prayer with a distinct Christological orientation, defined by St. John Paul II as a "compendium of the Gospel." In fact, it has an essentially contemplative character, since it leads us into the meditation of the mysteries of the Lord's life, accompanied by the one who was closest to the Lord. To give biblical foundation and greater depth to the meditation, it is helpful if the announcement of the mystery is followed by the proclamation of a corresponding biblical passage. It is appropriate that after the announcing of the mystery and the proclamation of the Word, one should pause for a suitable period of time to fix one's gaze on the meditated mystery, before beginning the vocal prayer (cf. Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, No. 30-31)
- Rosary in a Year Podcast
- A Scriptural Rosary for the Family
Biblical Eucharistic Adoration
- Liturgical & Pastoral Handbook, p. 13

Online resources

0 Comments