Breaking Open God's Word: A Three-year Cycle of Reflections on the Sunday Readings of the Liturgical Year

Breaking Open God's Word: A Threeyear Cycle of Reflections on the Sunday Readings of the Liturgical Year invites readers to embark upon a journey through the riches of the Catholic Church's threeyear lectionary for readings for Sunday Mass. The lectionary, a sequence of appointed passages from the texts of the Old and New Testaments, pairs readings with the seasons and feasts of the church year.

Sister Celine Goessl, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross, has taken a lifetime practice of prayerful listening to the messages God shares through scriptural texts and brought it into conversation with her immersion in the details of daily life to create the collection of reflections appearing in Breaking Open God's Word. The intent of this collection is to help God's Word enflesh itself in the reader's daily life and to empower him or her to take action to live as Christ's presence in other people's lives.

You may watch the changing of the seasons in your parish's worship and hear the variety of texts read at Mass. As you do, and you find life presenting you with everchanging challenges to your faith, Breaking Open God's Word offers to accompany you on your daily journey. Along the way, Sister Celine Goessl's prayerful reflections can offer you inspiration and guidance for living and witnessing faithfully in whatever circumstances you face each day.

Celine Goessl, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross, has served as a teacher, community leader, pastoral administrator, spiritual director, retreat leader, and lecturer. She earned a master's degree in theology at St. John's University and her doctor of ministry degree at St. Mary's Seminary and University.