A Look at the Mass: The Second Reading

I apologize for the brevity of this post. I would normally seek to be more detailed in explanation, but I have been battling chronic bronchitis this week, and instead of delaying the post, I feel that this concise summary does justice to the purpose of “A Look at the Mass,” concerning the Second Reading. Please keep me in your prayers.

The majority of Catholics are probably unaware of how rare a Second Reading is. This is probably due to the fact that many only attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, when there is always a second reading, and the lack of historical liturgical knowledge amongst the laity. There is only a second reading on solemnities (which all Sundays are) and feasts of our Lord. Additionally, while the early Church, as I have now often mentioned, had a second reading, this fell out of use early on so that there was only one reading, which became known as the Epistle, since it was normally, though not always, from a letter of St. Paul. This remains the case in the Extraordinary Form, albeit some of the more ancient penitential days do contain a second reading.

Within the current setup, the Second Reading is always taken from a New Testament book, excepting of course the Gospels, and it, unfortunately, often does not seem to bear as strong a resemblance to the other readings as the First Reading and the Gospel reading generally do to each other. This, however, should in no way make us believe it is somehow unrelated to the other parts of the Mass, or that it is somehow an “extra.” It is an integral part of the Mass, when called for, and bears important symbolism of its own. 

Additionally, I am not saying that the Second Reading is completely unrelated to the other parts of the Mass; I am simply saying the relationship is often not as evident. As it is always taken from the New Testament, it is almost always from an Epistle of St. Paul or one of the other Catholic Epistles. These Letters were all meant as a form of teaching and preaching. Thus, in this part of the Mass we can see a source of special teaching on our new life in Christ.

This is what forms the uniqueness to having a second reading on solemnities, i.e. there is a teaching within the Liturgy, written infallibly and inerrant under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, geared toward the Solemnity we commemorate.

On Sundays, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life we have because of it. Therefore, within the Second Reading, we should revel in the teachings given us by the Apostles on this new life! On Solemnities of our Lord, we can use the Second Reading as a gateway to see the sublimity of the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption. Within the celebrations of the Saints, let us read the hand of Providence at work in instructing us in the way we should go, as He has done throughout the history of the world. 

The readings then, may be seen in this manner. The First Reading opens our hearts to the mysteries of God, which are followed by our praises through the Responsorial Psalm. When used, the Second Reading then further enlightens our minds to hear the Gospel of God. And with our minds and hearts opened, we sing the joyful Alleluia and verse, for we already rejoice that Christ has come and redeemed us. We then conclude by hearing of that very redemption through the Holy Gospel. 

All historical information taken from:
Rev. Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume 1. Part III: Origin and Plan of the Service of Readings, 391-393; The Choice of Readings, 393-403; and The Epistle, 419-421. Translated by Rev. Francis A. Brunner, C.SS.R. (Christian Classics: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1951).