'The plainest and most instructive portions of the New Testament': the one year lectionary at the Holy Communion

Having addressed the reading of the Epistle and Gospel in the Communion Office, John Shepherd - in his A Critical and Practical Elucidation of the Book of Common Prayer, Volume II (1801) - also reflects on the particular passages of Scripture set forth as Epistle and Gospel readings for each Sunday of the year. His comments provide an excellent recommendation of the one year lectionary as setting before us "some of the plainest and most instructive portions of the New Testament". Mindful of the current state of North Atlantic Anglicanism, after decades of poor preaching and poor catechesis, underpinned by poor theology, we might suggest that a few decades of having the one year lectionary - "some of the plainest and most instructive portions of the New Testament" - proclaimed and expounded year after year could be a useful and appropriate means of aiding teaching focussed on grounding us more robustly in the heart of the Faith.

Long before the division of the sacred Books into chapters and verses, which is a modern invention, and unknown to antiquity, it was customary, both in the Greek and Latin Churches, to read, at the celebration of the Eucharist, some of the plainest and most instructive portions of the New Testament. With respect to the different portions which we read, they are so judiciously selected, that it would be difficult to find other passages more interesting, and more pertinent to the occasion and the season. The Epistles either enforce the practice of Christian virtue, or contain manifestations of divine mercy, or assurances of pardon and forgiveness. The Holy Gospel relates either some remarkable narrative of the life or death of Christ; some eminent miracle, important parable, or some striking part of his divine discourses. The Epistles convey instruction in the mysteries of our salvation; but the Gospel presents us with the example of Jesus, to the imitation of which all other knowledge is but subservient.