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Presentation
The Editors

In the Jewish-Christian tradition no important liturgical action takes place without the word of God being proclaimed in the assembly of the faithful, above all by the reading of Sacred Scripture.
The Church at its very infancy took this custom from post-exilic and rabbinic Judaism, both for its eucharistic celebrations and for its daily prayer. Liturgical prayer both Jewish and Christian is, for the greater part, woven from the same scriptural texture, the psalms first and foremost. In both traditions there comes the special moment in the ceremony when the Book or Scroll is presented and the word of God proclaimed by the celebrant as if God himself; through the human words of the Bible, were listening to the echoes of his own Word and speaking this Word to the assembled faithful who, in their turn, are listening to him. These are indeed privileged moments, among many others be it said, when God calls us, speaks to us.
In the synagogue the Torah is first read, followed by a reading from one of the prophets - the haftarah - which is viewed as its commentary. In the church the Gospel is read, accompanied by texts from both Old and New Testaments which are usually chosen according to a common theme. The importance of this selection of readings cannot be too strongly underlined. We refer our readers to what Dr. Eugene Fisher has written on this subject in the SIDIC Review XV, No. 2 (1982) pp. 12, 13.
The word of God as read in the assembly calls upon the faithful to do and to become what it proclaims. It is quite natural then that it be translated into the life of those listening by means of the commentary of the celebrant who explains what has just been read in the light of the people's concrete circumstances and needs. This custom goes back a long way as is witnessed by traditional Jewish homilies, those of Pesikta Rabbati, for example, or the classical Christian homilies of the Fathers of the Church. The Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Liturgy - Sacrosanctum Concilium nos. 35 and 52 - has stressed the importance of preaching the word, just as it underlines the importance of the place of Sacred Scripture in the worship of God: For it is from Scripture that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects, and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration... No. 24.