Hearers of the Word: Praying and Exploring the Readings for Easter and Pentecost Year C

The first and third readings for Eastertide in year C are taken from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John, both very appealing in their different ways. The second reading offers some of the more approachable scenes from the New Testament Apocalypse. The Apocalypse does not appeal to everyone, of course, but a contextualised reading and a contextualised presentation could be very life-giving. After all, the book is a response to broad cultural harassment, which occasionally firmed up to open persecution. At its core, the Apocalypse corresponds in the New Testament to the book of Job in Old. In other words, it addresses the question of suffering and what sense to make of it as believers in the crucified and risen Jesus.

By exploring the context and background to all three readings, the author hopes to make the readings available for personal prayer and as a preparation for taking part in the Sunday liturgy. A very useful resource for all who wish to get more out the Sunday readings. Fr Kieran is very well-known for his regular emailings of resources on the readings. These are hugely popular amongst clergy and others. Now, for the first time, these readings are brought together in a series of books. This is the third volume covering Easter Week to Pentecost.