Pope Francis decreed that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be "Sunday of the Word of God”.  (It was celebrated for the first time on Sunday, January 26, 2020.)

The designation of this day is an invitation to all Catholics to deepen their appreciation and love of as well as faithful witness to God and His word and should be observed as a day devoted to "the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God”.

The apostolic letter by Pope Francis titled "Aperuit Illis”, announcing this special Sunday, was issued on September 30, 2019, the Feast of St. Jerome and the 1.600th anniversary of the saint’s death.  The papal document’s title is based on a verse from the Gospel of St. Luke, "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."

"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."
— St. Jerome