The Church's liturgical year had a unity that we could easily overlook. The Advent and Christmas seasons have called us to see the Incarnation of the Saviour as the dawn of the world's salvation. It ends with the feast of The Epiphany ('The Manifestation'), inviting us to deepen our faith in the Saviour's presence among us as the manifestation and expression of God's loving kindness.

We could say that the whole year continues this Epiphany celebration. As we follow the gospel readings - central to the liturgy of the Word of each Sunday - we are led to deepen our recognition that all that Jesus said and did is a revelation of the ways of his Father. The centrepiece of the whole year, of course, will be the Easter celebration and its Lenten preparation, recalling the death and resurrection of Jesus, as God's final revelation shedding light on the whole story of the gospels.

Year A of the three year cycle presents the Gospel of Matthew, the longest and most familiar of the synoptic gospels. (With the exception of the first Sunday of the cycle, that has a reading from John's gospel). Written for Christians from a Jewish background, Matthew's gospel presents the Saviour's life as the fulfilment of the hopes of old Israel. The First Readings – usually from the Old Testament – are chosen to help bring a deeper understanding of the theme of the gospel reading. The Second Readings are a progressive presentation of the apostolic letters of the New Testament – mainly from St Paul. Although they are not chosen to match the gospel theme, they will often resonate with this main theme, as they give expression to the overall message of the Scriptures.