Imagine you are driving home from Sunday Mass. What are the chances that you remember what the readings were that you just heard half an hour ago? Mmmm… not always good! If we’re honest, sometimes we get distracted or we aren’t quite paying attention during the readings. It could be because we can’t hear the readers too well, or we are trying to wrangle children, or we are thinking of lunch, or any number of reasons. But we end up missing the readings.

This happened to me recently (yes me, the priest!). You see, usually I am reviewing the coming readings over and over during the week because I am preparing for my homily. But on this particular week, Deacon Bill was preaching the homily. So it was really his fault! (Haha) I failed to look at the readings before Mass, and when I was finally sitting in my seat listening, a lot of it kind of went in one ear and out the other. At that moment, I came to realize how helpful it is to look at the readings before Mass or have some kind of reinforcement besides just hearing them.

Sometimes the ears need a little help from the eyes. It can aid our comprehension to read along with what the reader is saying at Mass. So, what if we would like to follow along with the readings during Mass? I promise I’m not getting a commission out of this, but here are three alternatives:

1 – The Midwest Theological Forum Daily Roman Missal. This is my real “brush like a dentist” recommendation because it’s what I use, and it’s excellent. It has every reading for every day of the year (not just Sunday), prayers and devotions, and the excellent “How to Be a Better Catholic” section.

2 – St. Joseph Sunday Missal. If you search for this, you will find a smaller missal that just has the Sunday readings.

3 – USCCB.org. The website of the US Catholic Bishops, it has a link with all the daily readings at the top of the front page. It’s good if you are looking for something that’s free.
I hope this will help if you are looking for a resource. The Word of God is a precious treasure. Let’s not miss it!