Last week A Christian Outlook published in brief the main points of Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation. Sacramentum Caritas, issued only days before. The Exhortation, which has been described as "one of the Church's most authoritative and masterful statements about the Eucharist", has as its principal aim the restoration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist to the centre of the Catholic life.

Today we would like to draw readers' attention to the emphasis which the Pope, in his Exhortation, made on the vital bond which exists between the liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic liturgy. Both, the Pope emphasised, form one single act of worship. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be appreciated by many who do not give the liturgy of the Word the importance it deserves.

Although the readings, like the rest of the celebration, are now no longer in Latin but in the vernacular and have been so for over 40 years, how many really follow what is being proclaimed to them during the first and second readings and the responsorial psalm?

One of the main reasons for this lack of understanding is no doubt the unfamiliarity with the Word of God. As a solution the Pope proposed that the "faithful be helped to appreciate the riches of the Sacred Scripture... through pastoral initiatives. Liturgies of the Word and readings in the context of prayer."

He also suggested that before the readings "a few brief words of introduction" by the celebrant or even by a competent lay person would go a long way towards making the faithful understand and grasp what the reading is all about. In this context the Church might perhaps explore the possibility of "rewriting" parts of the texts using a literary style which the faithful are more familiar with.

Pope Benedict did not fail to emphasise also the importance of having "well prepared readers". He urged that every effort should be made "to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of the word of God is entrusted to well prepared readers. Let us not forget that "when the Sacred Scriptures are read in church, God Himself speaks to His people and Christ, present in his own word, proclaims the Gospel."

It is pertinent to ask whether enough importance is given by the Church to the way the Word of God is proclaimed during liturgical celebration and whether the time has not come for appropriate steps to be taken at a diocesan level to ensure that those entrusted with proclaiming God's Word, be they priests, religious or lay persons are, as the Pope emphasised in his Exhortation, really "well prepared".