The Liturgy of the Word

During the Liturgy of the Word the focus is on the proclamation of the Gospel -the Good News of Jesus Christ -as recorded in the Scriptures. The major portions are as follows:

• Opening Doxology: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Our worship, which is a participation in the Kingdom of God, is always focused on the One God who is Three Persons.

• Great Litany: Here we pray for our various needs, asking the Lord to have mercy on us.

• The Antiphons: These Psalm verses are joyful expressions of praise in which we thank God for His gracious works of love, mercy, and salvation.

• Hymn to Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God: We proclaim that Jesus, the Incarnate Second Person of the Trinity, is true God and true man.

• The Little Entrance: All are solemnly invited to worship the risen Christ as we pay homage to his presence in the Holy Gospel.

• The Troparia and Kontakia: In which we hear the theme of the day's Liturgy.

• The Trisagion: We glorify the Holy Trinity with these words: "Holy God, Holy and Mighty, holy and Immortal, have mercy on us." Following these introductory hymns, the Scriptures for the day are read in this order:

• The Prokimenon: A responsorial Psalm.

• The Epistle: Taken from the New Testament, this usually addresses a particular aspect of the Christian life.

• The Alleluia: Two Psalm verses separated by the singing of "Alleluia," which means "Praise the Lord."

• The Gospel: The public proclamation of the Word of God, taken from one of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. We always stand during the reading of the Gospel.

• The Homily: The sermon in which the priest proclaims the Good News of Christ while applying it to our daily lives.

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