First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

There are some Scripture passages proclaimed at Mass that may leave you wondering about the exact meaning contained in their verses.

When, in Revelations 7:3, an angel comes from the East to say, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God,” we might wonder about the symbolism.  Or when Wisdom “has built her house, she has set up her seven columns” (Proverbs 9:1), we might wonder how important “seven columns” is to the story.

Perhaps the most challenging passage is found in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel that is read at the Vigil Mass for the Nativity of the Lord (Matthew 1:1-25).  It is a long genealogy containing forty-six names read in quick sequence.  What is the lector or Gospel reader to make of some of these curious or obscure passages?  Just as important, what is the assembly to make of them?

In a recent Reflection on Lectoring, we quoted Karen Sue Smith when she says lectors are the “Scripture People” of the parish.  They are men and women of the word.  They are people who have internalized the word and have confidence that all of Scripture can be a source of meaning and inspiration.

The assembly can sense when a lector feels an intimate connection with the words he or she proclaims.  The assembly can also recognize that this connection is an essential component of good lectoring.  Most importantly, the assembly can find in every inspiring Scripture proclamation something that will arouse feelings of connectedness to God in them.

Maybe the meaning of “seven columns” and “seals on foreheads” may not always be clear, but the power of the words will always be felt - with the help of the “Scripture People” of the parish.

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"The record of the genealogy of Jeses the Messiah, the son of David, thesone of Abraham . . .  and he called hisname Jesus."

                                                                            - Matthew 1:1, 25

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First Reading  -  Jeremiah 33:14-16
An Act of Worship

The Messiah is coming.  The promise made centuries ago will be fulfilled.  Perhaps, not many of the people who heard Jeremiah’s prophecy while witnessing the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. could understand the significance of this promise.

Nevertheless, in his proclamation of a new covenant, Jeremiah demonstrated a profound insight:  “‘The days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah’” (31:31).  This new covenant would be irrevocable and be powered by God’s grace. The path to salvation would always be open to those who respond in faith to God’s grace.

In today’s brief first reading, there is little opportunity for the lector to fully explore the theme of redemption made possible by Christ.  Scripture proclamation at Mass is significantly different from studying the Bible in a classroom.

What the lector can do is give the assembly a sense that God’s promise to humanity is the greatest gift we can ever receive.  And that Advent is a time of joyful preparation for that gift.  The lector can also show the assembly that he or she really believes what he or she proclaims.  Whenever the lector speaks from the heart, his or her proclamation becomes a true act of worship.


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Second Reading  -  1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2
From Athens with Love

Generally believed to be the oldest preserved New Testament composition, Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians demonstrates the love he had for the faith community he founded.  In the letter, he addresses the Thessalonians as his “brothers” fourteen times.

In verse 9, a few verses before today’s second reading, Paul says, “How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy that we feel before our God on your account?”  This good feeling is especially poignant since Paul is writing from Athens after being forced out of Thessalonica by marketplace crowds stirred up by local Jewish residents.

All three of today’s readings arise out of backgrounds of struggle.  In the Gospel, the struggle is most directly evident.  However, all three readings have an optimistic message.  Because of God’s love for his people, redemption is possible.  Paul tells the Thessalonians much the same thing when he says, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.”

With God’s love as a starting point, it is possible to love one another.  An ideal way to make Advent a special time of preparation.

© 2012, George Fournier

Christ the King
November 25, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

”As people of the word, lectors are also the Scripture people of the parish.”

These words were written by Karen Sue Smith in her 1991 article entitled, A Spirituality for Lectors appearing in Church magazine.  Perhaps, some of us may be a bit surprised by this kind of job description.  What does it mean to be the Scripture people of the parish?

Perhaps, the answer may lie in the expectations that the parish has for its lectors.  Perhaps, the answer may also lie in the expectations that lectors have for themselves.

Few of us would consider ourselves to be Scripture scholars.  Some of us may not have read all the parts of the Bible.  The Book of Numbers can be especially challenging.  And, very few of us know Hebrew or Greek well enough to read the Scriptures in their original form.

With these things in mind, how should we imagine our approach to our ministry?  In his book, A Word That Will Rouse Them, Aelred Rosser observes that there is often a difference between the expectations lectors have for themselves and the expectations held by other liturgical ministers.  For example, music ministers expect to come together to develop, share and enhance their ministry.  Lectors often do these things as best they can on their own.

One result is that the assembly may be uncertain about the kind of training and preparation needed for good lectoring.  Sometimes, lectors themselves may be somewhat uncertain about what is best.  Perhaps a closer look at what “Scripture people of the parish” means might help to make things more clear.  More on this next week.

 

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"The Lord has given me a well-trained tongue, that I may know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them."

                                                                   - Isaiah 50:4-5

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First Reading  -  Daniel 7:13-14
A Happy Ending

Daniel had the kind of dream that would make anyone wake up in a panic.

He saw immense, grotesque monsters: a lion with wings, a bear with three tusks, a leopard with four heads, a fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns.  Fortunately in his vision, the monsters (which represented the various kingdoms that rampaged through the area) were destroyed, to be replaced by the “son of man” about whom we hear in today’s first reading.

Although scholars disagree about who the “son of man” mentioned in the Book of Daniel is, the Gospels use this title as an important way to identify the person of Christ.  The Messiah, who had no military might or desire to conquer land, brought with him the kind of kingdom that endures forever.

The feast of Christ the King concludes the liturgical year on a high note.  So does the Book of Daniel when it says, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.”  Lectors who proclaim this reading can address the assembly in a spirit of joy, knowing that Christ has ended the nightmare.

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Second Reading  -  Revelation 1:5-8
The Alpha and the Omega

There are two statements about God’s identity that will resound forever throughout the ages - past, present and to come.

When Moses asks who he should say is sending him back to the Israelites in Egypt, God replies, “I am who am.”  It is a profound statement, absolute and direct, yet comforting and reassuring.

Using a few more words, the final verse in today’s second reading says exactly the same thing, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty’.”

You could spend a lifetime meditating on these words and still have much more to learn.  As the lector at Mass, you will have only a minute to say these words, but they should sound like you have spent a lifetime praying and meditating on them.

© 2012, George Fournier

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 18, 2012


Reflection on Lectoring

"There are “good works” and there are good works performed as Christian ministry.  Both are good.  Helping people during natural disasters is good.  Feeding hungry people is good.  Visiting the sick is good.  However, doing these things in the name of Christ adds a new dimension.  They become Christian service.

Last week, we said that lector ministry involves more than just reading from the Bible.  More importantly, it is a ministry through which God reveals his presence.  It is a way for people at Mass to encounter God face to face.

A few Sundays ago in the first reading, we heard Isaiah the prophet telling the exiled Jewish people, “Be strong, fear not!”   Isaiah was more than just a motivational speaker doing the “good work” of encouraging homeless people.  His words took on a larger dimension when he added, “Here is your God, he comes with vindication, with divine recompense he comes to save you.”

The hymn Be Not Afraid by Bob Dufford, S.J. is like that.  It offers more than just encouragement in times of trouble.  It promises, “You shall see the face of God and live.”

Music ministers do more than sing.  They help people see the face of God.  In the same way, lectors do more than read.  As you will see in today’s first reading from the Book of Daniel, lectors proclaim, “The wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”

There can be no better encouragement.

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"Say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust'."

                                                                           - Psalms 91:2

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First Reading  -  Daniel 12:1-3
A Star Forever

It is hard to feel optimistic when your country continues to be overrun by outsiders.

First, the Assyrians grabbed up the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Then the Babylonians crushed Judah and snatched its population into exile.  The Persians were next.  Then it was Alexander the Great, followed quickly by the Ptolemy kings in Egypt.  And by the time the Book of Daniel achieved its final form, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV was in control, and set up an altar to Zeus right in the temple of Jerusalem.

The Book of Daniel is less a prophetic book than an apocalyptic vision about the coming of the Kingdom of God.  It is to be a time of great tribulation followed by the glorious conquest of God over evil.  It is the kind of message greatly needed by people who were continuously victimized by foreign powers that had little respect for their religious traditions.

The Gospels also contain many apocalyptic passages.  In today’s reading from Mark, Jesus says, “They will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (13:26).

The kind of kingdom promised by Jesus in the New Testament did not depend on the kind of military might envisioned in the Old Testament.  However, the promise in the Book of Daniel that we shall be “like the stars forever” is a reason to rejoice in any age.

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Second Realing  -  Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
Yesterday, Today and Forever

At the close of the Letter to the Hebrews, the author urges his hearers to “bear with this message of encouragement.”   Other translations use the words “message of exhortation.”   The overall purpose of the letter is to encourage steadfastness in the faith - a faith that puts the resurrected Christ at its center.

Today’s passage from Hebrews brings into sharp focus the message presented over the past seven Sundays.  Christ’s sacrifice was the one-time event that changed everything.  No more daily sacrifices made by human priests imperfectly pleading for forgiveness.   Christ as both high priest and perfect sacrifice made salvation possible.  Throughout history, Moses and the prophets served God faithfully by pointing things in the right direction.  Today, Jesus fulfils the promise.

Perhaps, we should close our seven-week journey through the Letter to the Hebrews with two verses from its closing chapter.  Verse 6 reinforces the sense of optimism found in today’s first reading from Daniel when it says, “Thus we may say with confidence: ‘the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid'."

Verse 8 gives us the ultimate reassurance that we have a high priest who will never abandon us.  With total confidence it says, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever."

© George Fournier, 2012

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 11, 2012


Reflection on Lectoring

As with most parishes, my parish in Florida offers several ministry opportunities for its parishioners.  There are ministries to the sick, a music ministry, a peace and justice ministry, and, of course, a ministry of the Word.

In addition to performing a variety of good works, is there a common quality that all parish ministries share?  In what way do they qualify to be called a “ministry?”

Perhaps the way my parish’s ministry directory describes the Lector Ministry may suggest an answer to this question.  In part, the description reads, “God’s Word is alive and active and the presence of Christ radiates from its proclamation at the Liturgy.  Thus, the Reader is entrusted with the awesome task of being the ‘proclaimer’ amidst the assembly.”

There are two parts to this description.  The second part describes the activity of the lector.  He or she is a “proclaimer.”  The first part (perhaps the more important part) describes the result of proclaiming the Scriptures - the Word of God becomes alive and active, and the presence of Christ radiates throughout the assembly. These things really do happen when the lector and the proclamation are Spirit-filled.

Regardless of the specific activity that characterizes each ministry, there is one result that is common to all - the presence of Christ.  When performed with love, each ministry enables the face of Christ to shine more brightly in the world.

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"Lord of hosts, restore us; let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved."

                                                             - Psalms 80:20

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First Reading  -  1 Kings 17:10-16
A Couple of Sticks

What picture do you have in your mind when you read about a destitute widow collecting “a couple of sticks” at the entrance of her town?  How do you feel about the prophet Elijah who asks for some bread and water from this same widow who has almost none left?  What would think if you were told that it was Elijah himself who foretold the three-year drought that caused all this hardship in the first place?

This short story is imbedded in a larger story about bad king Ahab who sanctioned the worship of Baal, the pagan god of rain.  Elijah tells Ahab that the God of Israel is the only true God, and will punish him with a drought.  Then, after Elijah defeats 450 of Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel, the rain returns (Kings 18: 25-45).

When viewed from the perspective of the entire story, Elijah’s trip to Zarephath can be seen as God’s desire to remember the needs of the simple people who have limited status, even while dealing with powerful people like king Ahab.

This short story concludes with some remarkably touching and reassuring words: “The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lords sends rain upon the earth."

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Second Reading  -  Hebrews 9:24-28
The Face of God

Despite Moses’ close friendship with God, when he asks to see God’s face, the Lord says, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).  The gift of seeing the face of God directly had to wait for the Incarnation.

In a similar way, again anticipating the arrival of the Messiah, God gives Moses a model of a sanctuary that is made by hands - one that is only “a copy of the true one” to be found only in heaven.

For the next several centuries, the high priests of Israel entered the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to make sacrifices “with blood that is not his own.”  It was a sacrifice that, under the old covenant, had to be repeated over and over by an imperfect priesthood.

The Incarnation of Christ changed all of that, and brought with it a new covenant and a new high priest who sacrificed himself once “to take away the sins of many,” and “bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.”

The Letter to the Hebrews is a carefully crafted examination of the ways in which Christ fulfills the Old Covenant’s foreshadowing of a perfect high priest.  Your hearers at Mass might not have all the background to this Scripture passage, but they can experience in your proclamation the excitement that comes from the promise of seeing God’s face directly.

© 2012, George Fournier