In the Eastern traditions of Christianity, when it comes to the time of the proclamation of the Gospel in the liturgy, the deacon or priest addresses the people, saying: “Wisdom! Let us be attentive.” It is a cue to the assembly that they are in the presence of Holy Wisdom and to be attentive to the words of Holy Scripture which are about to be proclaimed.

How can we best be attentive to the Holy Wisdom that is proclaimed in Scripture?

In order to fully participate in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, I suggest that we focus on our preparation before Mass as much as we are focused on the actual celebration of the Liturgy of the Word. What might our preparation for celebrating the Liturgy of the Word look like? For starters, read through the readings during the week a few times before Sunday. You might not understand the readings right away, and that’s OK. This might compel you to spend a little time learning more about the reading in an intellectual way with the ultimate goal of figuring out what the author means in the reading. You might attempt to discern how the reading might relate to your life today. Or you might approach the reading in a more emotional way, reflecting on your emotions and internal response in the initial reading. Try reading the same passage a few times throughout the week and reflect on whether your emotional response to the reading changes. Regardless of whether you approach the preparation in a more intellectual way or with more emotional reflection, always include prayer in your preparation. Make your preparation with Holy Scripture a prayer in itself through the practice of Lectio Divina, slowly reading a Scripture passage. What words or phrases stand out to you? What might God be communicating to you through this reading? Bring those images to prayer with God throughout the week. A great resource I often use is The Sunday Website by St. Louis University: liturgy. slu.edu.

In the actual celebration of the Mass, bring your entire body to prayer and engage your imagination in the Liturgy of the Word. We often think of the Liturgy of the Word as an exercise of proclaiming Scripture and listening to Scripture, and that’s very important — but today, I want to highlight something different: your imagination. Don’t simply listen to the words of the lector at Mass, but imagine the Wisdom of God filling the church building as Scripture is proclaimed. Imagine that Holy Wisdom washing over you, enveloping you. When you stand before the proclamation of the Gospel, imagine yourself standing to greet Jesus Christ as if he were entering the church building itself — as if you were standing face to face with the Wisdom of God; in a sense you are doing just that in the liturgy. Holy Wisdom envelops you, and you walk out of Church at the end of the Mass as a vessel of that Wisdom. You and I then carry the Gospel message out into the world when we leave the church.

“Wisdom! Let us be attentive!” If we take our attention in the Liturgy of the Word seriously, we can then leave the church able to heed the dismissal of the priest or deacon: “Go, and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”

— Josh Perry is director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Burlington.

—Originally published in the June 10–16, 2023, edition of The Inland See.