The liturgies of most Sundays of the year – apart from the great seasons celebrating Easter and Christmas – constitute an on-going three year cycle. The fact that these Sundays are called "Ordinary Sundays" can be misleading. In the Church's liturgy, every Sunday is a celebration of the Lord's Resurrection, and the meaning and hope his Paschal Mystery brings to everything that constitutes our life in this time of pilgrimage.

The liturgies of each of the years of the three year cycle are shaped by a progressive reading of one of the synoptic gospels. This year ("C"), we read from Luke's gospel. Careful attention to the gospel readings as Luke's gospel unfolds will bring an understanding of what the story of Jesus as a whole meant to the first Christians who shared Luke's faith. We shall also come to appreciate the inspiring themes that are dear to Luke: the joy of believing, for instance; the Spirit's presence in our lives; the challenge of Jesus' call to a life of poverty; the place of women in the awareness of Jesus. Old Testament readings are chosen to complement the theme of each Sunday's gospel. The readings from the apostolic letters constitute an independent cycle.