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There is no way you're going to get ALL the Bible in current Cahtolic worship. Great chunks of Leviticus and Numbers will be left out. Similarly -- full disclosure -- the current psalter in the Liturgy of the Hours (For those of you in Rio Linda that's matins, lauds, nones, sext, terce, vespers and compline in the old lingo - though most of us just pray lauds, matins, vespers, and compline) has some of the "difficult" verses sort of left out a little bit. No shock ending to 137, for example. Some of us don't approve.

In three years of Masses you will get the 4 gospels almost in their entirety. (Maybe the genealogies of Mt. and Lk ares skimmed a little. Add to that the two year cycle of daily Mass readings and you've got a heavy NT dose and a decent amount of OT.

Still, important as that is, it won't replace time spent with the Bible and on the Bible.

I LOVE the notion of Calvin's picking up at the next verse after the hiatus! On the other hand, I think devotion MUST include Bible study but ought not to be limited to it and I'm a great fan of the "seasons" of the Church year. So I'm not all about going from one end to the other of the Bible in public worship.

In three years of Masses you will get the 4 gospels almost in their entirety. (Maybe the genealogies of Mt. and Lk ares skimmed a little. Add to that the two year cycle of daily Mass readings and you've got a heavy NT dose and a decent amount of OT.

Weekend Mass = Four gospels over 156 readings
Daily Mass = heavy dose NT, smaller dose OT (a recent addition) over 730 readings

Thanks for the explanation. You do realize that's a long way from the "Catholics hear the entire Bible in three years" apologetic that I hear from other Catholics, don't you?

Still, important as that is, it won't replace time spent with the Bible and on the Bible....I think devotion MUST include Bible study but ought not to be limited to it and I'm a great fan of the "seasons" of the Church year.

One hundred percent in agreement with you on every point above, Mad Dawg. I myself am "all about going from one end to the other of the Bible in public worship", hence the Calvin anecdote, but I think we're in agreement that JUST readings in public worship or JUST private study should NOT be the ONLY exposure for believers. Thanks for everything in your post!

For my part, I’ll gladly cheer anyone encouraging folks to read the Scriptures...even if his version has more books than mine!

;>)