Pope Francis declares special Sunday each year dedicated to Word of God
To help the church grow in love and faithful witness to God, Pope Francis has declared the third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be dedicated to the word of God.
Salvation, faith, unity and mercy all depend on knowing Christ and sacred Scripture, he said in the new document, “Aperuit Illis,” the name of which is based on a verse from the Gospel of St. Luke, “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
Devoting a special day “to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God” will help the church “experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world,” the pope said.
To help island Catholics appreciate Scripture more, Father Mark Gantley, the diocesan judicial vicar, has mapped out a schedule of daily scripture readings that trace salvation history, the record of God’s relationship with human beings, for the ultimate purpose of leading them all to heaven.
Clip this page and grab a Bible and check off each day as you complete its reading.
By Father Mark Gantley
Special to the Herald
Pre-History: Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Babel
- Genesis 1:1-2:3
- Genesis 2:4-25
- Genesis 3
- Genesis 4
- Genesis 5
- Genesis 6:5-7:5
- Genesis 7:6-8:5
- Genesis 8:6-22
- Genesis 9
- Genesis 10
- Genesis 11
Period of the Patriarchs: Abraham leaves Ur in 1850 BC; birth of Isaac and Jacob; 12 sons of Jacob
- Genesis 12
- Genesis 13
- Genesis 14
- Hebrews 7
- Genesis 15
- Genesis 16
- Genesis 17
- Genesis 18
- Genesis 19
- Genesis 20
- Genesis 21
- Genesis 22:1-19
- Genesis 23
- Genesis 24:1-27
- Genesis 24:28-67
- Genesis 25
- Genesis 26
- Genesis 27:1-45
- Genesis 27:46-28:22
- Genesis 29:1-30
- Genesis 29:31-30:24
- Genesis 30:25-31:24
- Genesis 31:25-32:3
- Genesis 32:4-32
- Genesis 33
Joseph sold into slavery; Israelites migrate into Egypt
- Genesis 34
- Genesis 35
- Genesis 37
- Genesis 38
- Genesis 39
- Genesis 40
- Genesis 41
- Genesis 42
- Genesis 43
- Genesis 44
- Genesis 45
- Genesis 46
- Genesis 47
- Genesis 48
- Genesis 49
- Genesis 50
Birth of Moses; Exodus out of Egypt in 1230 BC
- Exodus 1:1-2:10
- Exodus 2:11-3:10
- Exodus 3:11-4:17
- Exodus 4:18-5:21
- Exodus 5:22-6:27
- Exodus 6:28-7:24
- Exodus 7:25-8:28
- Exodus 9
- Exodus 10:1-20
- Exodus 10:21-11:10
- Exodus 12:1-30
- Exodus 12:31-13:16
- Exodus 13:17-14:25
- Exodus 14:26-15:21
- Exodus 15:22-16:36
- Exodus 17
- Exodus 18
- Exodus 19
Moses receives the Ten Commandments; 40 years spent in the desert
- Exodus 20
- Exodus 24
- Exodus 25
- Exodus 26
- Exodus 27
- Exodus 28:1-29:9
- Hebrews 8
- Exodus 29:10-30:10
- Exodus 32:1-33:6
- Exodus 33:7-34:9
- Exodus 34:10-35
- Exodus 40
- Numbers 1
- Numbers 3
- Numbers 6
- Numbers 9
- Numbers 10
- Numbers 11
- Numbers 12
- Numbers 13
- Numbers 14
- Numbers 15
- Numbers 16
- Numbers 17:1-26
- Numbers 17:27-18:24
- Numbers 20:1-13, 22-29; 21:4-9
- Numbers 27:12-28:10
- Numbers 28:16-29:16, 39
- Numbers 33
- Numbers 34:1-35:15
- Deuteronomy 1
- Deuteronomy 29
- Deuteronomy 30
- Deuteronomy 31
- Deuteronomy 32:44-33:1; 34:1-12
- Joshua 1
- Joshua 2
Joshua leads Israelites into the Promised Land in 1200 BC
- Joshua 3
- Joshua 4
- Joshua 5
- Joshua 6
- Joshua 7
- Joshua 8
- Joshua 9
- Joshua 10
- Joshua 11
- Joshua 22
- Joshua 23
- Joshua 24
Period of the Judges begins in 1130 BC
- Judges 1
- Judges 2
- Judges 3
- Judges 4
- Judges 6
- Judges 7
- Judges 8
- Judges 9
- Judges 13
- Judges 14
- Judges 15
- Judges 16
- Ruth 1
- Ruth 2
- Ruth 3
- Ruth 4
- I Samuel 1:1-2:2, 11
- I Samuel 2:12-3:18
- I Samuel 3:19-4:22
- I Samuel 5:1-6:16
- I Samuel 6:19-7:17
United monarchy begins in 1020 BC: Kings Saul, David and Solomon; Temple in Jerusalem built
- I Samuel 8:1-9:2
- I Samuel 9:14-10:1, 17-27; 11:12-15
- I Samuel 15
- I Samuel 16; Psalm 23
- I Samuel 17:1-31
- I Samuel 17:32-58
- I Samuel 18
- I Samuel 19
- I Samuel 20
- I Samuel 21; 23:14-18
- I Samuel 24:1-25:1
- I Samuel 25:2-44
- I Samuel 26
- I Samuel 28:3-25
- I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1:1-17
- II Samuel 2:1-11; 3:1-5
- II Samuel 4
- II Samuel 5
- II Samuel 6
- II Samuel 7
- II Samuel 11
- II Samuel 12:1-25
- II Samuel 13
- II Samuel 14:21-15:18
- II Sam 16:5-14; 18:6-17
- II Samuel 18:19-19:24
- II Samuel 24
- I Kings 1
- I Kings 2
- I Kings 3
- Proverbs 1:1-7; 10:1-32
- Wisdom 6
- Wisdom 7
- Wisdom 8
- Wisdom 9
- I Kings 5:9-31
- I Kings 6
- I Kings 8:1-26
- Hebrews 9
- I Kings 10:1-13, 23-25
- I Kings 11:1-13, 41-43
Divided Kingdom in 930 BC: Judah (capital Jerusalem) in south, Israel (capital Samaria) in north
- I Kings 12:1-20
- I Kings 16:29-17:24
- I Kings 18
- I Kings 19
- I Kings 21
- I Kings 22:1-28
- I Kings 22:29-40; II Kings 9:30-37
- I King 22:52-54; II King 1
- II Kings 2
- II Kings 4
- II Kings 5; 13:14-20
- Isaiah 6
- Isaiah 7
- Isaiah 8
- Isaiah 9
- Jonah 1-2
- Jonah 3-4
- Micah 3
- Hosea 4
- Amos 1:1-2; 2:6-16; 4:1-2
Assyrians (capital Nineveh) conquer Israel in 721 BC, the Israelites are deported
- II Kings 17
- Judith 8:4-10, 32-36; 10:1-19
- Judith 12
- Judith 13
- Judith 14
- Tobit 1:1-2:8
- Tobit 2:9-3:6
- Tobit 3:7-4:2
- Tobit 5
- Tobit 6:1-7:8
- Tobit 7:9-8:21
- Tobit 9
- Tobit 10
- Tobit 11
- Tobit 12
- II Kings 22:1-11; 23:4-8, 24-32
- Sirach 49
- Jeremiah 1
- Jeremiah 26:1-19
- Zephaniah 1
King Nebuchadnezzar of Chaldeans (capital Babylon) conquers Judah in 587; Jews exiled, Temple is destroyed
- II Kings 24
- II Kings 25
- Lamentations 1
- Nahum 1
- Baruch 1; 6:1-6
- Habakkuk 1:1-2:4
- Job 1
- Job 2
- Job 3
- Job 7
- Job 38
- Job 40
- Job 42
- Ezekiel 1:1-3; 3:17-27
- Ezek 24:15-27; 39:21-29
- Daniel 1
- Daniel 2
- Dan 3:1-25, 46-51, 91-92
- Daniel 5
- Daniel 6
- Daniel 13
- Esther 1
- Esther 2
- Esther 3
- Esther 4
- Esther 5
- Esther 6
- Esther 7:1-8:2
- Obadiah 8-21
King Cyrus of Persia conquers Babylonians, allows the Jews to return home and rebuild Temple in 538 BC
- Ezra 1
- Ezra 3
- Haggai 1
- Ezekiel 40
- Ezekiel 43
- Ezra 6
- Ezra 7
- Ezra 8
- Zechariah 14
- Nehemiah 1:1-2:10
- Nehemiah 2:11-20; 6:15-16; 11:1-2
- Nehemiah 8:1-9:3
- Joel 2:12-27
- Malachi 3
- Ecclesiastes 1
- Ecclesiastes 3
Alexander the Great conquers Persians, establishes Greek rule in Palestine in 332 BC; a successor to a portion of his empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, in 168 BC, abolishes Jewish religion, dedicates Temple to Zeus
- I Maccabees 1:1-28
- I Maccabees 1:29-63
- II Maccabees 4:7-50
- II Maccabees 5
- II Maccabees 6
- II Maccabees 7
- I Maccabees 2:1-28
- I Maccabees 2:29-70
Revolt of Judas Maccabeus against Greeks in 165 BC; his family rules Judea as priest-rulers until 37 BC; Romans completed conquest of the Greeks in 146 BC
- I Maccabees 3:1-26
- I Maccabees 3:27-59
- I Maccabees 4:1-35
- I Maccabees 4:36-61
- I Maccabees 6:1-17, 55-63
- II Maccabees 11
- II Maccabees 12
- I Maccabees 8
- I Maccabees 9:1-31
- I Maccabees 9:73-10:21
- I Maccabees 12:1-4, 39-53
- I Maccabee 13:1-10, 26-30
- I Maccabees 14:4-35
- I Maccabees 16
In 63 BC, Romans invade Judea; Herod the Great made king of the Jews by Roman Emperor, reigns 37-4 BC; Jesus born approximately 7-6 BC
- Luke 1:5-45, 56-66
- Matthew 1
- Matthew 2
- Luke 2
St John the Baptist announces the Messiah in 27 AD
- John 1
- Luke 3
- Matthew 4:1-5:12
- John 2
- John 6
- Matthew 6
- Matthew 7
- Matthew 16
- Matthew 22
St John the Baptist imprisoned in 29 AD, martyred by Herod Antipas, ruled 4 BC-39 AD
- Mark 6
- Mark 9
- Mark 11
- Mark 12
- Luke 22
- John 11
- John 12
- John 13
- I John 3
- Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12
Jesus died in 30 AD; Pentecost and the birth of the church
- Luke 23
- Sirach 51:1-12; Wisdom 3:1-9
- Song of Songs 2:8-17; 8:6-7
- Luke 24
- John 21
- Acts 1
- Acts 2
- Acts 3
- Acts 4
- Acts 5
- Acts 6:1-15; 7:51-8:3
- Acts 8:4-40
Conversion of Paul in 37 AD
- Acts 9
- Acts 10
- Acts 11
King Herod Agrippa I ruled 41-44 AD
- Acts 12; Mark 14:51-52
- Acts 13
- Acts 14
Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD; Gospel reaches Rome
- Act 15; James 1:1; I Peter 1:1-2; 5:12-13
- Galatians 2:1-10; II Timothy 1:15-18
- Acts 16:1-15; I Timothy 1:1-20
- Acts 16:16-40
- Philippians 4
- Acts 17
- I Thessalonians 2:1-3:8
- Acts 18; I Corinthians 2:1-5
- Acts 19; Ephesians 3:1-6
- Acts 20; Titus 1:5
- Acts 21
- Acts 22
- Hebrews 10
- Acts 23
- Acts 24
- Philemon 1-25
- Acts 25
- Acts 26
- Acts 27
- Acts 28
- Romans 1:1-15
St. Peter martyred in Rome in 63 or 67 AD, St. Paul martyred in Rome in 67 AD; Romans destroy Temple and all Jerusalem in 70 AD
Jesus will return in glory at unknown date; until then salvation history includes lives of the saints
- Jude 1-25
- II Peter 3
- Daniel 12
- Ezekiel 37:1-14; Colossians 1:15-20
- Matthew 25
- Revelation 1
- Revelation 4
- Revelation 5
- Revelation 7
- Revelation 12
- Revelation 14
- Revelation 15
- Revelation 20
- Revelation 21
- Revelation 22
(Historical years are approximate. The BC/AD dating system was created by the monk Dionysius in 525 AD and retroactively enacted. It was based on the practice of counting years from the beginning of a king’s reign. He miscalculated the year of Jesus’ birth by about 6-7 years.)