Cover design by Ann Blattner. Illustration: Saint Matthew. Codex Vindobonensis Palatinus (Greek Gospel Book, ca. 1000). Austrian National Library. Used with permission.

These reflections were originally published in America and are reprinted with the permission of America Press, Inc., americamagazine.org.

“Still I Rise,” from AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou, copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC; and Virago Press, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from documents of the Second Vatican Council are from Vatican Council II: The Basic Sixteen Documents, by Austin Flannery, OP © 1996 (Costello Publishing Company, Inc.). Used with permission.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture excerpts in this work are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States. Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1992, 1986, and 1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means and without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Other Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition © 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Reid, Barbara E.

Abiding word : Sunday reflections for year A/Barbara E. Reid, OP.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-8146-3314-4 (alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8146-3474-5 (e-book)

1. Church year meditations.  2. Bible—Meditations.  3. Catholic Church—Prayers and devotions.  4. Catholic Church. Lectionary for Mass (U.S.). Year A. I. Title.

BX2170.C55R425 2013

242′.3—dc23

2013013130