The Liturgy Office frequently receives questions from clergy concerning the use of alternative readings at Mass, particularly during special celebrations, such as funerals, weddings, proper feast days, and at events such as graduations or pilgrimages.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM] offers several helpful notes to assist pastoral ministers and staff in selecting appropriate readings on a given day. It begins by emphasizing that the three readings which are assigned to Sundays and Solemnities “should be followed strictly” (357). A possible exception to this rule may occur in the case of Ritual Masses, which sometimes allow for the use of readings more proper to the occasion, depending on the day. For example, the Order of Celebrating Matrimony permits one of the ritual readings given for the celebration of marriage to be used at Sunday Masses during Christmas and Ordinary Time when these are celebrated outside of the usual parish Mass schedule.
On feast days, two readings are assigned, and these should generally be followed. In the case of Memorials of Saints, proper readings are occasionally assigned to these days. These include:
Obligatory Memorials | ||
January 26 | Saints Timothy and Titus | 1st reading: 2 Tim 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5 |
Monday after Pentecost Sunday | Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church | All readings: Gen 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14/ Ps 87:1-2, 3+5, 6-7/John 19:25-3 |
June 11 | Saint Barnabas | 1st reading: Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3 |
July 29 | Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus | Gospel: John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42 |
August 29 | Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist | Gospel: Mark 6:17-29 |
September 15 | Our Lady of Sorrows | Sequence [Stabat Mater] and Gospel: John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35 |
October 2 | Guardian Angels | Gospel: Matt 18:1-5, 10 |
Optional Memorials | ||
May 1 | Saint Joseph the Worker | Gospel: Matt 13:54-58 |
Saturday after 2nd Sunday after Pentecost | Immaculate Heart of Mary | Gospel: Luke 2:41-51 |
November 18 | Dedication of Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul | All readings: Acts 28:11-16, 30-31/Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6/Matt 14:22-33 |
More often, however, the celebrant may choose between the readings assigned to the weekday or optional readings that speak more directly to the life, ministry, or virtues of the saint. The GIRM notes that the use of these latter texts “should not be insisted upon, unless a pastoral reason truly suggests it” (357).
On ferial weekdays, the celebrant should generally use the readings assigned to the day. However, if the given pattern of readings follows a particular book of Scripture, and this is interrupted by a Solemnity or Feast, the priest may choose either to combine the readings across several days or select one of these readings.
Parishes often receive special requests—such as from engaged couples or families of the deceased—to use readings outside of those listed in the Order of Celebrating Matrimony and the Order of Christian Funerals. While the texts given in these rites should usually be followed since they speak most directly to the mysteries being celebrated, the GIRM gives pastors some limited discretion in allowing for the use of other readings: “[I]n Masses for special groups, the Priest shall be allowed to choose texts more particularly suited to the particular celebration, provided they are taken from the texts of an approved Lectionary” (358). Nonetheless, such substitutions should be viewed as an exception that is made only in light of pressing pastoral need.
Just as with the selection of prayers at Mass, the careful observance of reading options allows a celebrant to address the needs of his flock in a direct and powerful way. As the GIRM notes, the “pastoral effectiveness of a celebration will be greatly increased if the texts of the readings, the prayers, and the liturgical chants correspond as aptly as possible to the needs, the preparation, and the culture of the participants” (352).