Is the NAB the source of the current Lectionary?

That was what I thought until I read this at Adoremus Bulletin. Best answer is: not exactly.

In the United States the Lectionary is based on the New American Bible (NAB). The NAB is published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), originally in 1970.

The Lectionary was revised in the 1990s, after new translations of the New Testament (1986) and Psalms (1991) appeared. (The revised books of the NAB are known as the RNAB.) The readings for the Propers (saints' days, etc.) were expanded, also.

When the Holy See reviewed the revised text (submitted by the bishops in 1992), it was found that the 1991 translation of the Psalms was so defective that it could not be used even as a "base text" for the Lectionary; and the 1986 New Testament had to be amended (one major problem: so-called "inclusive" language).

Thus the revised Lectionary had to undergo extensive "repairs"; consequently, in the late 1990s, several US bishops and Vatican experts together amended the Lectionary text, to correct the defective translations.

Nearly ten years after it was first submitted to the Holy See, the new two-volume Lectionary appeared in print. The eventual version as approved (subject to review after five years) has been the only edition of the Lectionary permitted for use in the United States since May 19, 2002, when it became mandatory. No other scripture translations are to be used for the US Lectionary. The bishops have now appointed a committee for the first review.

A most unfortunate anomaly in all this is that there is no edition of the Bible at present that corresponds to the Lectionary. All the current editions of the complete NAB contain the Revised 1986 New Testament (unamended) and Revised Psalms (1991) that the Holy See found defective.

This is a complex situation -- and is especially confusing to people who are looking for a reliable Catholic Bible, because imprimaturs (literally ,"let it be printed") were granted to these books by presidents of the USCCB (Cardinal James Hickey [1986] and Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk [1991]) before they were judged defective by the Holy See.

Thus the ironic and anomalous situation wherein the complete NAB scripture text, currently in print and available in various editions, does not "match" the Lectionary text. --Source

Oh dear. Oh my. I prefer my Ignatius Bible (RSV 2nd-Catholic Edition) though I do have a couple of copies of the NAB and had no idea that the issue of the Lectionary was so complex. God bless our Bishops and may they get this sorted out under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Entire Bible Covered in Three Years?

One of the very common statements I hear over and over again by Catholics is that if you attend every daily Mass plus the Sunday Mass, you will have heard for all intents and purposes, the entire Bible. It is true that the current Lectionary for Mass covers much more Scripture than the Lectionary prior to Vatican II. Let me provide you with some background and statistics comparing pre and post-Vatican II:

• In the Missal Romanum, each Catholic Mass included only two biblical readings, which were normally referred to as "The Epistle" (since the first reading was almost always taken from one of the New Testament letters) and "The Gospel." Readings from the Old Testament were never used on Sundays, but only at the Easter Vigil, the Vigil of Pentecost, the feast of Epiphany and its octave, during Holy Week, and on some weekdays (esp. Ember days, weekdays of Lent, the feasts of some saints, and some votive Masses).

• The bishops assembled at Vatican II declared, "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way the more significant part of the Sacred Scriptures will be read to the people over a fixed number of years" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #51). The current Lectionary for Mass does indeed offer a "richer fare" of biblical readings during the Eucharistic liturgy than was available before Vatican II. However, since many parts of the Bible (esp. the Old Testament) are still not included in the Lectionary, one must go beyond the readings used at Mass to cover the entire Bible.
• The current Lectionary uses only 13.5% of the Old Testament over the course of Sundays and weekdays, NOT including the Psalms.
• The current Lectionary uses a more impressive 71.5% of the New Testament including Sundays and weekdays. Still a long way from 100%.
  

Another important thing to understand about the Catholic Liturgy, as with most other churches who have liturgical worship, is that we use 'Pericopes' in the Mass. I have encountered many non-Catholic Christians who are unfamiliar with this and because of this there is a great deal of misunderstanding. The definition of pericope is:

n. pl. pe·ric·o·pes or pe·ric·o·pae

An extract or selection from a book, especially a reading from a Scripture that forms part of a church service.

---

[Late Latin, from Greek, a cutting around, section, from perikoptein, to cut around : peri-, peri- + koptein, to cut.]


And from the USCCB: What's the difference between a Bible and a Lectionary?

A Lectionary is composed of the readings and the responsorial psalm assigned for each Mass of the year (Sundays, weekdays, and special occasions). The readings are divided by the day or the theme (baptism, marriage, vocations, etc.) rather than according to the books of the Bible. Introductions and conclusions have been added to each reading. Not all of the Bible is included in the Lectionary.

Individual readings in the Lectionary are called pericopes, from a Greek word meaning a "section" or "cutting." Because the Mass readings are only portions of a book or chapter, introductory phrases, called incipits, are often added to begin the Lectionary reading, for example, "In those days," "Jesus said to his disciples," etc.

Is the Bible really covered over the course of three years? Nope, not even close. Yet the other 'good news' is that many different Catholic editions of the Bible are available and excellent Catholic Bible study materials are popping up all over. I'll list some that come to mind, and will point you to my favorite editions of the Bible here and here. ;)

Ignatius Catholic Bible Study

The Great Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible (very popular at our parish!)

Salvation History: Online Bible Study led by Scott Hahn

Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ --St. Jerome

Which Bible is the best one? It has been said thousands of times: THE ONE YOU READ! (P.S. Just be sure it isn't missing books ;) )

What are you waiting for?

FYI: Where Did the Bible Come From? A moment of apologetics from St. Michael's Media: