October 14, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
In last week’s Reflection on Lectoring, we explored some of the ways lectors receive personal blessings when proclaiming the Scriptures. This week, we invite you to think about some of your most memorable experiences at the ambo.
For some lectors, the most memorable lectoring experiences
occur on special occasions like a wedding, a funeral Mass, or an uplifting Easter
liturgy.
For other lectors, the reading itself is memorable because of its powerful words, or because it contains a personally meaningful message.
Since the inspired Scriptures have been around for thousands of years, there is certainly something memorable and meaningful in all of them. In the same way, all Scriptures proclaimed at Mass have the potential to convey a message that personally connects with the lector and his or her hearers.
Fulfilling that potential is a process that starts with the lector and is guided by the Holy Spirit. It is a process that can grace the lector with spiritual insights and a deeper commitment to faith. It is a gift that, when humbly received, can then be shared with others.
Not every Scriptures passage has the same meaning for everyone. However, every Scripture proclamation can be an opportunity to learn and to share. They can all make a difference. For both the lector and the assembly, every Scripture proclamation can be an opportunity to create a memory. Before your next lectoring assignment you might ask yourself what memory is most vivid for you?
For other lectors, the reading itself is memorable because of its powerful words, or because it contains a personally meaningful message.
Since the inspired Scriptures have been around for thousands of years, there is certainly something memorable and meaningful in all of them. In the same way, all Scriptures proclaimed at Mass have the potential to convey a message that personally connects with the lector and his or her hearers.
Fulfilling that potential is a process that starts with the lector and is guided by the Holy Spirit. It is a process that can grace the lector with spiritual insights and a deeper commitment to faith. It is a gift that, when humbly received, can then be shared with others.
Not every Scriptures passage has the same meaning for everyone. However, every Scripture proclamation can be an opportunity to learn and to share. They can all make a difference. For both the lector and the assembly, every Scripture proclamation can be an opportunity to create a memory. Before your next lectoring assignment you might ask yourself what memory is most vivid for you?
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"My mouth will speak the praises of the Lord: all flesh will bless his holy name."
- Psalm 145
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First Reading - Wisdom 7:7-11
A Memorable Exhortation
Like today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the Book of Wisdom was written, in part, to encourage its hearers to remain faithful to their beliefs. Written in the first century B.C., the Book of Wisdom puts wisdom’s praises in the mouth of King Solomon, the preeminent Old Testament spokesman for the value of wisdom.
Also like Hebrews, this passage from Wisdom overflows with memorable words and phrases. In chapter 7, verse 7, Solomon pleads for the spirit of wisdom, extolling wisdom as more precious than gold, silver or priceless gems. Later in verses 22 and 23, not included in today’s reading, there is a glowing litany of twenty-one, rapid-fire adjectives to drive home the point. Reading these two verses might give you an idea for the tone of your proclamation.
Wisdom is ultimately another way of speaking about God. In First Corinthians, Paul employs that same analogy in describing Christ when he says, “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1:24). As you will see in today’s second reading, it is the same kind of appropriation of Old Testament symbolism that Hebrews uses when describing Christ as “the word of God’ (4:12).
What will the assembly remember when it hears you proclaim this brief Scripture passage extolling a somewhat abstract concept? Perhaps speaking Solomon’s exuberant words in a convincingly positive way will leave a positive, lasting memory.
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Second Reading - Hebrews 4:12-13
Another Memorable Exhortation
This is the second of seven consecutive Sundays during which a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews will be proclaimed at Mass. Why is this one letter given so much attention? What did this letter seek to accomplish?
The best clue to the reason for writing Hebrews is found in the last chapter when the author says his composition is meant to be a “word of exhortation” (13:22). Like the Book of Wisdom (see above), Hebrews is really an exhortation, the kind that encourages early Christians to remain steadfast in their faith despite the challenges of maintaining unpopular beliefs.
This weekend, you will be reading from one of the most memorable passages in the New Testament when you proclaim the words, “Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow.”
In chapter 1, verse 1, Hebrews begins by saying Jesus Christ is the living Word of God that surpasses the words of the prophets. Your hearers at Mass may not be aware of how Hebrews compares Jesus to the words of the prophets, but they can hear the power of the words you proclaim today.
© 2012 George Fournier
- Psalm 145
___________________________
First Reading - Wisdom 7:7-11
A Memorable Exhortation
Like today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the Book of Wisdom was written, in part, to encourage its hearers to remain faithful to their beliefs. Written in the first century B.C., the Book of Wisdom puts wisdom’s praises in the mouth of King Solomon, the preeminent Old Testament spokesman for the value of wisdom.
Also like Hebrews, this passage from Wisdom overflows with memorable words and phrases. In chapter 7, verse 7, Solomon pleads for the spirit of wisdom, extolling wisdom as more precious than gold, silver or priceless gems. Later in verses 22 and 23, not included in today’s reading, there is a glowing litany of twenty-one, rapid-fire adjectives to drive home the point. Reading these two verses might give you an idea for the tone of your proclamation.
Wisdom is ultimately another way of speaking about God. In First Corinthians, Paul employs that same analogy in describing Christ when he says, “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1:24). As you will see in today’s second reading, it is the same kind of appropriation of Old Testament symbolism that Hebrews uses when describing Christ as “the word of God’ (4:12).
What will the assembly remember when it hears you proclaim this brief Scripture passage extolling a somewhat abstract concept? Perhaps speaking Solomon’s exuberant words in a convincingly positive way will leave a positive, lasting memory.
________________________
Second Reading - Hebrews 4:12-13
Another Memorable Exhortation
This is the second of seven consecutive Sundays during which a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews will be proclaimed at Mass. Why is this one letter given so much attention? What did this letter seek to accomplish?
The best clue to the reason for writing Hebrews is found in the last chapter when the author says his composition is meant to be a “word of exhortation” (13:22). Like the Book of Wisdom (see above), Hebrews is really an exhortation, the kind that encourages early Christians to remain steadfast in their faith despite the challenges of maintaining unpopular beliefs.
This weekend, you will be reading from one of the most memorable passages in the New Testament when you proclaim the words, “Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow.”
In chapter 1, verse 1, Hebrews begins by saying Jesus Christ is the living Word of God that surpasses the words of the prophets. Your hearers at Mass may not be aware of how Hebrews compares Jesus to the words of the prophets, but they can hear the power of the words you proclaim today.
© 2012 George Fournier
