Opening the Word
3 Seasons
Welcome to Opening the Word, videos and guides offering prayer and insights for the Sunday Readings. Each reflection is lead by one of our experienced presenters including Dr. Tim Gray, Dr. Mary Healy, Dr. Scott Powell, Dr. Edward Sri, Fr. John Riley, Dr. Ben Akers, and Martha Fernandez. Opening the Word is designed to facilitate thought and discussion for personal faith formation or in the context of a group meeting, especially in RCIA.
To find the current week, visit https://bible.usccb.org/
To purchase journals for Year C, visit: https://catholic.market/programs/opening-the-word/
Other journals can be found in downloadable PDF form at the end of the respective season's videos.
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26th Sunday of Ordinary Time—September 30, 2018
Episode 1
The great consequence of the truth being Jesus is that the world is split into those who recognize Jesus and those who do not. To the extent that we see Jesus, recognize him, know him, and commune with him we are able to see things in the truth and perceive reality clearly. The more we know him a...
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27th Sunday of Ordinary Time—October 7, 2018
Episode 2
The readings for today focus on God's vision of marriage—a clearly hot topic in our culture. Today the Church invites us to peacefully meditate on what the Lord proposes to be the meaning of marriage. And as we'll see, God created marriage to reveal the very meaning of our existence, and it is ve...
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28th Sunday of Ordinary Time—October 14, 2018
Episode 3
Have you ever felt like you really have something down? Maybe a sport, a task at your work, or getting the laundry folded regularly! You have finally mastered it. And then, when you thought everything was (finally) going as you planned and worked for, something comes up. You get hurt, your work c...
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29th Sunday of Ordinary Time—October 21, 2018
Episode 4
Have you ever longed for a role, a job, or place in life that you would give just about anything to have it? And then, after you finally get what you wanted, you realize you bit off way more than you can chew? In today's Gospel, two of Jesus' disciples ask for a huge role—to partake of Jesus' pas...
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30th Sunday of Ordinary Time—October 28, 2018
Episode 5
The imagery of sight and blindness pervades the readings for this Sunday. The Church uses this metaphor to help us understand how we are blinded by sin and are in need of Christ's light in order to follow him.
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31st Sunday of Ordinary Time—November 4, 2018
Episode 6
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus encounters a sincere scribe, unlike the other Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadduccees, who continually attempted to trick him and destroy his words. Because of his sincerity, Jesus offers great hope to this scribe by telling him that he is not far from the kingdom.
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32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time—November 11, 2018
Episode 7
A widow in Jesus' time would have been one of the most outcast in society. With no man to own property, home, or bring in an income, she would be struggling to get by. And yet, with great humility and great courage, she still presents herself in the Temple, showing her brave faith. She trusts in ...
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33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time—November 18, 2018
Episode 8
In our readings for this Sunday, the Church invites us to relfect on this call to approach each day as our last, to strive continually to hold absolutely nothing back from the Lord because we assume we'll have another chance tomorrow. We only have the present moment to give ourselves completely t...
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Our Lord Christ the King—November 25, 2018
Episode 9
This Sunday brings the liturgical year of the Church to its culmination. At the close of the year, the Church draws our attention to Jesus's Kingship and the coming of his Kingdom through this Sunday's readings.
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1st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Baptism of the Lord (Year B) Leader Guide
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1st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Baptism of the Lord (Year B) Participants Guide
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