Rome (Italy). On 26 January 2025, all the dioceses of the world celebrate the 6th Sunday of the Word of God, established by Pope Francis on 30 September 2019, on the liturgical memory of Saint Jerome with the motu proprio Aperuit illis, dedicated to the celebration, reflection, and dissemination of the Word of God.
The event coincides with the first great Jubilee of the World of Communication and on this occasion, the Holy Father will preside at the Eucharistic Celebration in St Peter’s Basilica, with the institution of some new Lectors.
As the Pontiff points out in his motu proprio, placed on the third Sunday of ordinary time, the day also has an ecumenical value:
“This Sunday of the Word of God will thus come at a suitable time in that period of the year, when we are invited to strengthen our ties with the Jews and pray for Christian unity. It is not a mere coincidence of time. Celebrating the Sunday of the Word of God expresses an ecumenical value, because the Holy Scripture indicates to those who listen the path to be pursued in order to reach an authentic and solid unity.”
“I hope in your Word” (Ps 119,74) is the motto chosen by the Pope for this appointment, which is placed in the context of Jubilee 2025: “It is a cry of hope: man, in the moment of anguish, tribulation, non-sense, cries out to God and puts all his hope in him,” comments Msgr. Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for the Fundamental Issues of Evangelization in the World, presenting the theme.
A Hope that – continues Mgr. Fisichella – is not “an abstract idea or a naive optimism”, but “a person, alive and present in the life of each: Christ crucified and risen, the only one who never abandons us. Pauline theology is extremely clear on this point: ‘Christ Jesus, our hope’ (1 Tim 1:1).”
Therefore, the Sunday of the Word of God “allows Christians once again to strengthen the tenacious invitation of Jesus to listen and guard His Word in order to offer the world a testimony of hope that will allow them to go beyond the difficulties of the present moment. The Word of God is not confined in a book, but always remains alive and becomes a concrete and tangible sign. In fact, it causes each community not only to proclaim the faith of always, but above all to communicate it with the conviction that brings hope to those who listen to it and welcome it with a simple heart.”
To prepare for the celebration, the Pro-Prefect proposes as support to parish communities and dioceses the resource provided by the Dicastery for Evangelization, available online in six languages
San Biagio House of Prayer
, of Subiaco (Rome), of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of St. John Bosco Province (IRO), which in its mission privileges listening to and deepening the Word of God, after having adhered to the the Year of Prayer 2024 with the sharing of monthly resources, celebrates this anniversary in a special way by organizing on Sunday 26 January, the Day of the Word, with a Lectio, the Eucharistic Celebration and, at 2:30 pm (time Italy), a “relay reading the Sacred Scriptures”. More information is on the Facebook Page.
