SW News: The annual Sunday of the Word of God celebration, which falls on January 22 this year, has as its theme a verse from the Gospel of St John, "We proclaim to you what we have seen". This was announced by the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization.

This year’s unique celebration aims to increase the understanding of Sacred Scripture. Those present will be given a booklet of the Gospel of St Matthew. Pope Francis will also confer 10 lay ministries at the Vatican on the Sunday of the Word of God.

He will confer three ministries of lectors and seven ministries of catechists to men and women from different parts of the world, including Mexico, Italy, the Philippines, Congo, and Wales.

A Liturgical-Pastoral Resource has also been made accessible by the Dicastery to aid in the communal, family, and individual encounters with God's Word.

The Resource is available in hard copy in Italian and can be downloaded online in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

The Third Sunday is to be devoted to the celebration, study, and spread of the Word of God, according to Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter, Motu proprio "Aperuit illis," which was issued on September 30, 2019.

This is based on the biblical passage of St. Luke in which he describes the gesture of Jesus Christ to the disciples with which he "opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures."

While scripture readings are an integral part of every Sunday liturgy, Pope Francis suggested that this particular Sunday would be appropriate for the formal Installation of Lectors to point out the importance of the proclamation of God’s word in the liturgy.

The Holy Father has also urged the faithful to study the four Second Vatican Council Constitutions as part of preparations for the Jubilee in 2025. The "Notebooks of the Council" series of compact booklets will be published by the Dicastery for Evangelization and distributed in bookstores and online.