The ABC of Sunday Matters

Reflections on the Lectionary Readings for Year A, B, and C

This book provides reflections on the Sunday Bible readings in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for Years A, B, and C of the liturgical cycle. They previously appeared in separate volumes of Sunday Matters published by ATF Theology in the Dominican Series. They have now been combined in this single volume, colour coded for easier use, and with a revised general introduction and introduction to the Gospel of Matthew. Like the previous volumes, this one is intended to assist those preparing homilies and those with a desire to understand a little more deeply the readings used in the Sunday liturgy. Mark O'Brien OP is a member of the Australian Province of the Dominican Order, also known as the Order of Preachers (OP). He entered the Order in 1967 and studied theology in Dominican houses of study in Canberra and Dublin. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1973 and completed post-graduate studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, in 1976. He taught Old Testament studies at Yarra Theological Union, Melbourne, from 1977 and completed a doctorate in Theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity in 1987, now the MCD University of Divinity. He is the author of The Deuteronomic History Hypothesis: A Reassessment and has co-authored several books on the Old Testament with Antony F Campbell SJ. He is currently Dean of Studies for his Province and lectures in Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological College and Yarra Theological Union, both colleges of the MCD University of Divinity. 'How can we listen to ancient wisdom and make this part of our own story as we try to live deeply spiritual lives in the midst of a busy twenty-first century culture? Mark O'Brien's reflections on the Sunday readings can help us hear and understand how these words nourished the Jewish people and the early Christians in their time, and how they have the potential to nourish us today. He brings to these reflections years of scholarship and, equally important, years of his own faith-filled pondering of these texts and wrestling with the God who constantly catches us by surprise. O'Brien takes the risk of sharing the questions the Scriptures put to him, and this invites us into our own dialogue with these rich, challenging and often puzzling texts. These reflections will be a great help for anyone wanting to reflect on the Word of Scripture either for personal use or for assistance in preparing a homily.' Mary Coloe PBVM Yarra Theological Union, a member college of the MCD University of Divinity, Melbourne