October 28, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
This is a special anniversary.
What started as weekly reflections for lectors at my parish a year ago is now available to anyone who follows this blog. I thank all of you who read this blog each week. I also thank you for the essential contribution you make to your parish liturgies.
The central theme of this year’s reflections has been relationship - the lector’s relationship to the people in the assembly, the lector’s relationship to the Scriptures, and the lector’s relationship to God.
In Mark 12:31, Jesus said the second of the two great commandments is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Ministry - including the ministry of lector - means serving the needs of others. It also means loving the people you serve. Lectors must love the people in the assembly if the words they speak are to be received with love.
St. Jerome, a Doctor of the Church who translated most of the Bible into Latin, is famous for having said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ” (from his Commentary on Isaiah). Having a relationship with the Scriptures is a powerful way to banish ignorance and receive new insights - the kinds of insights lectors share every time they proclaim the words of Scripture in the assembly.
God once said through the prophet Isaiah, “My word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (55:11). God chooses lectors as an important way to achieve the purpose for which he sends his word. In doing so, he creates a very special relationship with all those who proclaim that word.
We look forward to serving all of you who proclaim God’s word as we begin our second year of lector reflections.
What started as weekly reflections for lectors at my parish a year ago is now available to anyone who follows this blog. I thank all of you who read this blog each week. I also thank you for the essential contribution you make to your parish liturgies.
The central theme of this year’s reflections has been relationship - the lector’s relationship to the people in the assembly, the lector’s relationship to the Scriptures, and the lector’s relationship to God.
In Mark 12:31, Jesus said the second of the two great commandments is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Ministry - including the ministry of lector - means serving the needs of others. It also means loving the people you serve. Lectors must love the people in the assembly if the words they speak are to be received with love.
St. Jerome, a Doctor of the Church who translated most of the Bible into Latin, is famous for having said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ” (from his Commentary on Isaiah). Having a relationship with the Scriptures is a powerful way to banish ignorance and receive new insights - the kinds of insights lectors share every time they proclaim the words of Scripture in the assembly.
God once said through the prophet Isaiah, “My word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (55:11). God chooses lectors as an important way to achieve the purpose for which he sends his word. In doing so, he creates a very special relationship with all those who proclaim that word.
We look forward to serving all of you who proclaim God’s word as we begin our second year of lector reflections.
__________________________
First Reading - Jeremiah 31: 7-9
Part of the Equation
Part of the Equation
When you proclaim today’s first reading, will the people who
listen become more hopeful, cheerful or joyful?
That is exactly what you are asking them to do when you say, “Shout with joy,” “Exult,” “Proclaim your praise.”
Of course, your hearers might simply take themselves out of the equation, preferring to interpret the words of Jeremiah as something that applies only to the long-ago people of Israel who were living in exile.
Is this reading simply a history lesson about exile and return? Is it only a retelling of a story that your hearers have heard many times before? Will it be filed away without really being heard?
This reading asks for a response. It presents a glimpse into God’s love for his people - a love that is just as alive today as it was thousands of years ago. In today’s first reading, the lector presents the story of God’s faithfulness and exhorts his or her hearers to “Shout with joy.” In so doing, the lector also becomes part of the equation.
That is exactly what you are asking them to do when you say, “Shout with joy,” “Exult,” “Proclaim your praise.”
Of course, your hearers might simply take themselves out of the equation, preferring to interpret the words of Jeremiah as something that applies only to the long-ago people of Israel who were living in exile.
Is this reading simply a history lesson about exile and return? Is it only a retelling of a story that your hearers have heard many times before? Will it be filed away without really being heard?
This reading asks for a response. It presents a glimpse into God’s love for his people - a love that is just as alive today as it was thousands of years ago. In today’s first reading, the lector presents the story of God’s faithfulness and exhorts his or her hearers to “Shout with joy.” In so doing, the lector also becomes part of the equation.
__________________________
Second reading - Hebrews 5:1-6
Extremely Well Qualified
Why does the name of Melchizedek come up when discussing the high priesthood of Jesus? It seems a little obscure.
In last weekend’s second reading from Hebrews, Jesus was introduced as the high priest who was able “to sympathize with our weaknesses.” In this reading, we are going to hear about his qualifications for the job.
He is a high priest who is:
- taken from among men,
- being like us, serves as our authentic representative,
- called to the job by God and not by his own choice.
The comparison to Melchizedek also confers on Jesus an additional qualification not found in the Jewish high priests from the tribe of Levi. In Genesis 14:18-22, Abraham gives tithes to Melchizedek, a priest who predates the arrival of Levi. And since Genesis never mentions anything about Melchizedek ever dying, Hebrews presents Jesus as someone who is “a priest forever.”
You can find a more complete analysis of the comparison between Melchizedek and Jesus by reading the seventh chapter of Hebrews, verses 1-21. It is essential reading for every lector.
© 2012, George Fournier
Second reading - Hebrews 5:1-6
Extremely Well Qualified
Why does the name of Melchizedek come up when discussing the high priesthood of Jesus? It seems a little obscure.
In last weekend’s second reading from Hebrews, Jesus was introduced as the high priest who was able “to sympathize with our weaknesses.” In this reading, we are going to hear about his qualifications for the job.
He is a high priest who is:
- taken from among men,
- being like us, serves as our authentic representative,
- called to the job by God and not by his own choice.
The comparison to Melchizedek also confers on Jesus an additional qualification not found in the Jewish high priests from the tribe of Levi. In Genesis 14:18-22, Abraham gives tithes to Melchizedek, a priest who predates the arrival of Levi. And since Genesis never mentions anything about Melchizedek ever dying, Hebrews presents Jesus as someone who is “a priest forever.”
You can find a more complete analysis of the comparison between Melchizedek and Jesus by reading the seventh chapter of Hebrews, verses 1-21. It is essential reading for every lector.
© 2012, George Fournier
