5 Reasons to Pray the Daily Readings

I have recently solidified a habit of reading the Daily Mass readings, and it’s been huge for me. It is something I have become convinced we should all be striving to do, either daily or weekly before Sunday Mass, for five reasons. I won’t beat around the bush, here they are.

1. It prepares you for Mass. Whether you are going to a daily Mass or a Sunday Mass, glancing through the readings before-hand helps you meditate and contemplate so much more than if your first exposure is sitting in the pew. This habit has allowed me to soak in the Scriptures more fully through repetition, providing some Lectio Divina type style of prayer.  Reading the readings before Mass has also helped me actually be aware of what is being read even if my children are crying and I am distracted in the moment. It has helped me appreciate homilies more, and in all ways prepares me to enter into the mystery of the Mass more fully. 

   
   

2. It is a sure-fire way to immerse yourself in Scripture daily. We all know how important it is to read Scripture. And yet for me personally, it is something that I can frequently let slide. That whole “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ” thing haunts me. For whatever reason, it is really hard for me to pick up a certain book of the Bible and make sure I am consuming God’s word daily and consistently in that way. Maybe that works for you, but if you’re anything like me and want to up your regular Scripture intake, try just reading the daily readings! This is a way to get my mind and heart in the Scriptures that the Church has already picked out for us that day! It takes some of the work away from me. Work smarter not harder.

   
   

3. It connects you to the Church. Reading the daily readings has helped me learn so much more about different saints that are being celebrated. It has raised my awareness to feasts and solemnities I was previously oblivious to. It helps me feel more aware and participative in the different liturgical seasons of the Church. Reading the daily readings connects us to the universal church and the celebrations we are all sharing and partaking in. All practicing Catholics are meditating on the same verses across the globe. Tap in to that community!

   
   

4. It will influence your thoughts. If you are consuming an Old and New Testament reading and a Psalm everyday, that comes out to a lot of Scripture in a year. And if you are doing this for multiple years, you are going to be exposed to the entirety of the Bible eventually. Your knowledge of the history of salvation will drastically increase. Your heart and mind will start to more easily remember and turn to key verses in time of temptation and struggle. Scripture is alive and effective, and marinating in its goodness and truth, even in bite-sized pieces, has the power and capacity to change your entire life. 

   
   

5. You have no excuse not to. There are so many platforms that make consuming the daily readings possible. And maybe you can’t find the space to read them, but audio options can suit your commute or life-style as well. Whether it’s a quick google search or plugging in on your favorite Catholic app, God’s Word as picked for your day by the Church is readily available. You cannot use the excuse that it’s too hard to navigate a Missal or you need to pay money on a product. This is an amazing blessing of the technological world we live in. 

The truth is, there are a million positive ways in which meditating on Scripture in any form will impact you. That is not debatable. So the key becomes to do what you are actually going to do. The only failure in prayer is not to pray. I have learned that what actually supports me in reading Scripture is by focusing on what the Church has already laid out for me every day of my life through the Daily Mass Readings. It genuinely normally takes less than five minutes a day, but I have learned that if I’m actually open and receptive during those five minutes, it impacts my entire day. We want to be connected to God. We want to hear Him. He speaks to us through His word. Pick up and read. Pick up and listen. He is speaking to you, you need only to be still and receive.