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The Liturgy of the Word begins with the First Reading. On Sundays and most weekdays, the First Reading is taken from the Old Testament — recognizing that the Old Testament is genuinely the Word of God and indispensable to Christian faith. (During the Easter season, the First Reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles instead, recognizing the early Church's witness to the resurrection.)
The Roman Lectionary, revised after the Second Vatican Council, was specifically designed to expose Catholic congregations to a much fuller breadth of Scripture than was previously the case. On Sundays, the Lectionary works through a three-year cycle (A, B, C) that brings the assembly through nearly all the major Old Testament books and most of the New. For weekday Masses, a two-year cycle (I, II) brings even more Scripture into the regular life of the Church.
The First Reading is proclaimed by a lay reader — almost never by the priest or deacon. This is significant. The Catholic Church teaches that lay men and women are full participants in the liturgical proclamation of God's Word, not just recipients of a clerical performance. The reader's "The word of the Lord" at the conclusion, and the assembly's "Thanks be to God," is the formal recognition that what has been heard is not merely an ancient text but the living Word of God speaking to the Church now.
For Catholic weddings and funerals, the First Reading is most often chosen from a curated set of Old Testament passages on marriage or on resurrection. The choice is part of the family's preparation with the celebrant.