Pope Celebrates Mass on Sunday of Word of God

By Vatican News

The Church marks the sixth Sunday of the Word of God on January 26, 2025, a day instituted by Pope Francis on September 30, 2019, to emphasize the significance of Sacred Scripture.

The theme for this year’s edition is taken from the Psalms: “I hope in Your Word.”

On Tuesday, the Holy See Press Office released a communique from the Dicastery for Evangelization announcing that Pope Francis will preside at Mass to mark the occasion.

Following the liturgy, the Pope will distribute copies of the Gospel of Luke to attendees, continuing the tradition of spreading God’s Word.

Supporting the faithful in spiritual growth

During the celebration, the Pope will confer the ministry of Lector upon 40 lay faithful—men and women—from various nations: 4 from Albania, 3 from Argentina, 5 from Austria, 1 from Bolivia, 4 from Brazil, 5 from the Philippines, 1 from Iceland, 6 from Italy, 5 from Mexico, 1 from Poland, and 5 from Slovenia. Each will receive a copy of the Nova Vulgata Bible according to the rite.

To aid the faithful in their spiritual growth and deepen their connection to God’s Word, the Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World, part of the Dicastery for Evangelization, has made a free liturgical-pastoral guide available online in six languages.

The guide, downloadable from the official website evangelizatio.va, offers suggestions for a deeper encounter with Scripture in communities, families, and daily life. It also includes articles, meditations, texts for Adoration, and pastoral recommendations.

Pizzaballa: ‘Scripture inspires love for God’

In a message to the faithful, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, highlighted the significance of the initiative, which has been celebrated since 2020 on the third Sunday of Ordinary Time according to Pope Francis’s decree.

How to attend the Mass

The sixth edition of the Sunday of the Word of God offers Christians an opportunity to renew their commitment to reading and meditating on the Bible as a fundamental tool for growth in faith and spiritual life, as well as a source of hope for the faithful worldwide.