WORDS TO THE WHYS

The truth will make you odd. Flannery O’Connor

Sacred Scripture permeates every aspect of Divine Worship.

Almighty and Ever‑living God, Who in Thy holy Word dost enlighten the humble and strengthen the weak: grant unto us the grace of Thy Holy Spirit, that He may open our hearts in silence and our minds in purity to receive Thy truth.

And as we seek to walk in Thy will, vouchsafe that we may be filled with the knowledge of Thy love and mercy, and sustained by the quiet light of Thy wisdom, joy, and hope.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Sacred Scripture permeates every aspect of Divine Worship, with the Missal shaping the Ordinariate Mass not only through the proclaimed readings but also through its language, structure, and devotional character. At its heart, Scripture functions as both revelation and anamnesis—God speaking to His people and the Church truly present to His saving deeds. This dynamic is emphasized in the Church’s teaching that “through the proclaimed biblical readings in the liturgy, God speaks to his people and Christ himself proclaims his Gospel."

The Liturgy of the Word follows the Roman Lectionary, ensuring unity with the wider Church. Its theological principles—outlined in the Praenotanda of the Ordo Lectionum Missae—affirm that Christ is the “centre and fullness of all Scripture” and that the Gospel is received with special veneration, often expressed in Ordinariate parishes through ceremonial procession and elevated chant. The Psalm, one of the minor propers in Divine Worship, is chanted during the Sung Mass and the Solemn High Mass, and recited during the Said (or Low) Mass. It serves as the Church’s prayerful response to God’s word, a tradition steadfastly maintained in accordance with liturgical norms.

Beyond the readings, Scripture saturates the sacral English of Divine Worship. The Collects, Offertory prayers, and Eucharistic texts draw deeply from biblical language and imagery. As Father Randy Stice notes, “the prayers, collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force,” with many phrases directly quoting or alluding to Scripture—from Trinitarian greetings (St Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor 13:13) to Eucharistic imagery such as the “dewfall” recalling Exodus 16.

In the Ordinariate’s patrimony, Scripture also shapes distinctive elements: the Comfortable Words, the Summary of the Law, and the Prayer of Humble Access. These texts, drawn from or inspired by Scripture, underscore the Mass as a dialogical encounter in which “scripture and liturgy permeate and strengthen each other”.

Sacred Scripture in Divine Worship is not merely read—it is prayed and embodied, forming the living foundation of the Ordinariate’s worship and spirituality.

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