The Revised Common Lectionary is a lectionary of readings or pericopes from the Bible for use in Christian Worship, making provision for the liturgical year with its pattern of observances of festivals and seasons. It was put together in 1983 as an ecumenical revision of the earlier three year lectionary produced by the Roman Catholic Church in 1969 following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The revision was the product of a collaboration between the North American Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) and the International English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC). After a nine-year trial period, it was publicly released in 1994. The CCT membership includes the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as many traditional "mainline" American and Canadian Protestant denominations. The CCT thereby represents the majority of American and Canadian Christians and has been widely adopted in Great Britain. It differs little from its predecessor, the 1969 Ordo Lectionum Missae and subsequent Common Lectionary. A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings for Christian worship. ... A pericope (pur-IC-op-ee) (Greek περικοπη, a cutting-out) in rhetoric is a set of verses which form one coherent unit or thought. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about... The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Consultation on Common Texts is an ecumenical group that has been meeting since the mid-1960s to define common texts for Christian liturgical use. ...

As in its predecessors, readings are prescribed for each Sunday: a passage from the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, or the Acts of the Apostles; a passage from one of the Psalms; another from either the Book of Revelation or the Epistles; and finally a passage from one of the four Gospels. Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... Apocrypha (from the Greek word , meaning those having been hidden away[1]) are texts of uncertain authenticity or writings where the authorship is questioned. ... The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... An epistle (Greek επιστολη, epistolÄ“, letter) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons, usually a letter and a very formal, often didactic and elegant one. ... Gospel, from the Old English good tidings is a calque of Greek () used in the New Testament (see Etymology below). ...

Also like its predecessors, it runs in three-year cycles; the gospel readings in the first year (Year A) are taken from the Gospel of Matthew, those in the second year (or Year B) from the Gospel of Mark, and in the third year (or Year C) come from the Gospel of Luke. Portions of the Gospel of John are read at certain festivals every year. The Gospel of Matthew (literally, according to Matthew; Greek, Κατά Μαθθαίον or Κατά Ματθαίον, Kata Maththaion or Kata Matthaion) is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. ... The Gospel of Mark (literally, according to Mark; Greek, Κατά Μαρκον, Kata Markon),(anonymous[1] but ascribed to Mark the Evangelist) is a Gospel of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Luke (literally, according to Luke; Greek, Κατά Λουκαν, Kata Loukan) is a synoptic Gospel, and the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. ... For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ...

Year A begins on the first Sunday of Advent in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, etc.

Year B begins on the first Sunday of Advent in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, etc.

Year C begins on the first Sunday of Advent in 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, etc.

It differs from its Latin predecessor, however, in that — as a result of feedback collected from the participating churches during the trial period — a greater emphasis is given to Old Testament passages and to Wisdom literature. Wisdom literature is the a genre of literature common in the Ancient Near East. ...

Scripture usage

The major principle behind the lectionary is that on a Sunday members of congregations should be able to hear the voice of each writer week by week, rather than readings being selected according to a theme. Thus, in any given year one of the first three gospel writer will be heard from beginning to end. Likewise the rest of the New Testament is heard, in some cases, virtually in total, in others in large part.

This principle is subject to a number of exceptions. Firstly, different principles apply during the special seasons of the years: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. Here appropriate lections relevant to the season are chosen. The rest of the year, called Ordinary Time begins in February (after Candlemas) and runs until the Second Sunday before Lent. It then resumes after Pentecost until the Sunday before Advent which is kept as the Feast of Christ the King. Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian (especially the Catholic) liturgical calendar. ... Candlemas (Russian: Sretenie, Spanish: Candelaria) is a Christian feast commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. ... It has been suggested that Cuaresma be merged into this article or section. ... The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th century illuminated manuscript. ... This article is about the figure known by both Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ. For other usages, see Jesus (disambiguation). ...

Secondly, because the cycle is three years long, only three of the Gospel writers are given a year. St John's Gospel, whose form and character is very different from the first three so-called synoptic gospels is treated differently and is inserted into all three years. Thus passages from St John appear in the special seasons of Advent and Lent, on Passion Sunday in all three years, throughout Holy Week, including Good Friday, on Easter Day as the first alternative Gospel, during most of the Easter season, on Pentecost and during the year in which St Mark's gospel is in use. A practical reason for this is that Mark is considerably shorter than either St Matthew or St Luke. For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ... In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar that they are called the synoptic gospels (from Greek, συν, syn, together, and οψις, opsis, seeing). ...

The treatment given to the Old Testament provides a further qualification to the first principle. Because it is so much longer than the New, it is inevitable that a smaller proportion of the material will be included, unless readings are to be very long. Readings are much more selective both in terms of the books included: little appears from the Books of Leviticus and Numbers and almost none from 1 and 2 Chronicles. Moreover, it was decided that churches could choose between two "Tracks" in their use of the Old Testament. "Track 1" adheres to the principle of giving the Biblical writer his own voice, thus following week by week from a portion of a book, or, in the case of some books, the whole. "Track 2", on the other hand, designated the "Related Track", is intended to relate in some way to the Gospel for the day. Provison is made for the use of a responsorial psalm each Sunday. Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ...

Lastly, there has been a certain amount of editing so that some verses of most books are omitted. Sometimes the omission is simply an introduction to a book; sometimes more substantial material has been excluded, but the overall intention, that of allowing, say, the substance of a biblical writer's thoughts to be read and heard in church, has arguably been achieved at least more substantially than before. There have been arguments over individual editorial judgements and the Church of England, in its use of the RCL, has re-inserted verses, in brackets, which were felt by its Liturgical Commission to be more properly included. The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

Such is the length of the Scriptural canon that no Sunday lectionary can cover the whole of Scripture without the necessity of very long readings on a Sunday or a longer cycle of years. Sometimes there has to be a choice between telling a long story or omitting it entirely. However, the daily lectionary, devised by the Roman Catholic and adopted by the Church of England (among others), provides more material and the Church of England has augmented the RCL by the provision of readings for second and third services. Thus the RCL lectionary is used for the "Principal Service", which often takes the form of a Eucharist, while allowing for additional material at other services which may be Morning and Evening Prayer (though provision is made for either being a Eucharist). Minimal changes to the "Principal Service" have been made in order to preserve its use as an ecumenical lectionary; the most significant of these is in Year B where in Epiphany for three Sundays readings from Revelation replace readings from 1 Corinthians.

Denominational practices

The Revised Common Lectionary is used in its original or an adapted form by a number of churches around the world. The Ordo Lectionum Missae, on which it is based, is used in the Roman Catholic Church in local translations as the standard lectionary. A number of Protestant churches have also adopted (and sometimes adapted) the RCL. In the United States of America this includes the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Fellowship of the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church. In the United Kingdom this includes the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). These denominations may loosely use it but even in cases where it is used on a regular basis, these congregations usually consider its use optional. “Catholic Church” redirects here. ... The insignia of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). ... Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... LCMS redirects here. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination that was formerly known as the Dutch Reformed Church. ... Disambiguation: This article is about the United States denomination known as United Church of Christ. ... The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination. ... The Church of England logo since 1998 The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. ... Logo of The United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Christian denomination (church) in the United Kingdom. ... Flag of the Church in Wales The Church in Wales (Welsh: Yr Eglwys Yng Nghymru) is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six dioceses in Wales. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The Church of Scotland (CofS; Scottish Gaelic: ), known informally by its pre-Union Scots name, The Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. ...

See also

Look up Revised Common Lectionary in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Lectionary
• Mass (liturgy)
• Liturgical year
• Gospel Book

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings for Christian worship. ... A Medieval Low Mass by a bishop. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      This article is about... A Gospel Book is a codex or bound volume, containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament. ...

External links

• Online copy at Vanderbilt University
• New Revised Standard Version RCL passages and resources at United Church of Christ SAMUEL site
• FAQ at commontexts.org
• TextWeek.com is a site that lists actual lectionary scripture assignments for several denominations.