July 15, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
In the early days of the church, the Apostle Paul needed some really good readers to proclaim the message of the resurrected Jesus.
When Paul could not go in person to the Christian communities he founded, he often sent letters instead. Then, when the letters arrived, he relied on people to read them in the assembly - a more forceful way to get the message across than silent reading could achieve.
In those days, people got together to share their faith in their homes. Even in a culture where social stratification was a fact of life, the ideal as expressed in Galatians 3:28 was to create an assembly or ekklesia where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Of course these class and gender differences didn’t disappear, but, through their faith, all members of the community became children of God.
It was not always easy to achieve perfect harmony in Paul’s newly-minted communities. In his letters, he often had to remind early Christians what it meant to believe in a Messiah who was a servant to others.
At Mass today, the message proclaimed by lectors is just as essential for creating faithful communities and spirit-filled parishes. And good lectors remain just as important for getting the message across. Whenever an early Christian community heard a letter from an apostle it was a really big event. It still is today, nearly 2,000 years later.
_______________________
"So
we, though many, are one body in Christ.”
- Romans 12:4
________________________
First Reading - Amos 7:12-15
Complex Emotions
Complex Emotions
How will your hearers react to the conflict between Amos
and Amaziah?
Will your hearers mostly focus on the story of a courageous hero (Amos), or feel animosity towards a privileged sycophant (Amaziah)? Will they feel sorry for Amos who is getting tossed out for following God’s instructions, or will they judge that Amos will ultimately come out ahead because he is true to his calling?
The breadth of possible emotions is wide, ranging from anger, to sympathy, to hope in ultimate justice. As a lector, when preparing for this proclamation you might also experience several emotions all mixed together.
Perhaps there is no wrong response to this Scripture passage - other than no response at all. For certain, Amos experienced a great many emotions as he answered God’s call. So should those who tell his story. So should those who hear his story.
Will your hearers mostly focus on the story of a courageous hero (Amos), or feel animosity towards a privileged sycophant (Amaziah)? Will they feel sorry for Amos who is getting tossed out for following God’s instructions, or will they judge that Amos will ultimately come out ahead because he is true to his calling?
The breadth of possible emotions is wide, ranging from anger, to sympathy, to hope in ultimate justice. As a lector, when preparing for this proclamation you might also experience several emotions all mixed together.
Perhaps there is no wrong response to this Scripture passage - other than no response at all. For certain, Amos experienced a great many emotions as he answered God’s call. So should those who tell his story. So should those who hear his story.
_______________________
Second Reading - Ephesians 1:3-14
Us
This reading invites lectors to connect directly with their hearers, and for their hearers to connect with each other.
The words “us” and “we” appear a total of ten times in this reading. That enables the lector to personally address the assembly in a way that creates a feeling of community and common identity.
As mentioned in this week’s Reflection of Lectoring, Paul wanted the members of his early Christian communities to feel a sense of belonging despite their individual differences. Today’s poetic second reading presents many of the ways in which God gives us a common identity.
At the close of this reading when using the word “you,” Paul makes things even more inclusive. Even Jews and Gentiles, who once had little in common, are now “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit . . . as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.”
In this wonderfully evocative reading, the degree to which your hearers feel you are speaking directly to them is in your hands. Paul has given you the words. The Holy Spirit will give you his support. The rest is up to you.
© 2012 George Fournier
This reading invites lectors to connect directly with their hearers, and for their hearers to connect with each other.
The words “us” and “we” appear a total of ten times in this reading. That enables the lector to personally address the assembly in a way that creates a feeling of community and common identity.
As mentioned in this week’s Reflection of Lectoring, Paul wanted the members of his early Christian communities to feel a sense of belonging despite their individual differences. Today’s poetic second reading presents many of the ways in which God gives us a common identity.
At the close of this reading when using the word “you,” Paul makes things even more inclusive. Even Jews and Gentiles, who once had little in common, are now “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit . . . as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.”
In this wonderfully evocative reading, the degree to which your hearers feel you are speaking directly to them is in your hands. Paul has given you the words. The Holy Spirit will give you his support. The rest is up to you.
© 2012 George Fournier
