The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
December 30, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

In his brief monograph on the first five books of the Bible entitled Introduction to the Pentateuch, Father Eugene LaVerdiere explains that the Pentateuch is an inspired compilation of religious and scholarly reflections written over the course of 500 years (p.61).

The Bible’s first five books contain several different types of writing including: ancient legends, history, laws and exhortations - all of which were shaped by the passage of time and by the changing circumstances of God’s chosen people.

Compiling the Pentateuch was a dynamic process that was influenced by the events encountered by the people of Israel during years of peace and in times of upheaval.  It was a process that produced a unique theology of humanity’s relationship with Yahweh.

Today, the words of Scripture continue to illuminate our own relationship with God.  They are the living and inspired words that speak in new ways to the actual needs and experiences of people alive today.

In a similar way, lectors continue to grow in their personal understanding of the Scriptures.  They develop new insights into the relevance of God’s word as it applies to them and to the assembly. 

In a recent lector meeting, the liturgy director at my parish in Florida recommended a number of resources that support the continuing development of lectors.  Among them is a Web site written by a lector, George Miller: www.lectorresources.com   It offers weekly reflections as well as recommendations for resources useful for enhancing skills.

Another Web site is: http://liturgy.slu.edu created by St. Louis University that highlights each Sunday’s Mass, along with links to additional Web resources.

More on growing with the Scriptures next week.

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“Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword.”

                                                              -  Hebrews 4:12

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First Reading  -  1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28

A Mother’s Sacrifice

The prophet Samuel came along at a critical time in the history of Israel.

For approximately 150 years after Joshua, Israel was guided by a series of judges who tried their best to remind the people about God’s will for them.  Then, when the Philistines carried off the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites thought they would be better served by being ruled by a king.  Reluctantly, Samuel who was a priest, prophet and judge anointed Saul as the first king, and a new kind of government took over in Israel.

In today’s first reading, Hannah plays a large role in this epic historical drama.  After many prayers, she finally brings Samuel into the world.  Then, when she encounters Eli, Samuel’s soon-to-be mentor, she dedicates her new son to the service of God.

Reminiscent of Mary’s Magnificat, Hannah prays in chapter 2, “My heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted by my God” (verse 1). 

In today’s Gospel, the twelve-year-old Jesus remains behind in his Father’s house, the location of his final days of preaching.  In today’s first reading, when her son was only three years old, “Hannah left Samuel there” to begin his service to God.   Samuel, like Jesus, had a special mission.

Perhaps equally important, Hannah, like Mary, is a truly heroic mother who obeyed God for the good of all his people.

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Second Reading  -  1 John 3:1-2, 21-24

See What Love

Uncertainly can be painful.  Especially when you know you must make a choice.  Especially when the choice will have long-lasting consequence.

Today’s second reading from the Letter of John presents us with a very important choice.  It is a choice to, “believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.”

In addition to urging us to believe in Jesus and love our neighbor, the author also gives us a great deal of encouragement: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.”

There is a lot to commit to when you choose to believe in God and love your neighbor.  For most people, it is an ongoing process.  It is also the kind of process that makes this Scripture passage especially valuable for frequent reflection.

It is a choice that gives added importance to your proclamation at Mass this weekend.  How you proclaim, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us” may help make that choice more clear.

© George Fournier, 2012

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

Lectoring is a ministry of sharing - sharing the Word of God.

There are two essential parts to sharing:  First, you have to have something to share.  Second, you have to be able to share it.  Good lectors are good at both.

Something to Share:

Lectors have a personal love and appreciation for the Scriptures.

Ability to Share:

Lectors are able to connect with their hearers and make the Scriptures meaningful to them.

How do lectors develop and enhance the gift of effective sharing?

Individual prayer and study enable lectors to internalize the Scriptures.  When something is relevant, it has meaning.  When the Word of God is relevant, our relationship with him has deeper meaning.  When we have a relationship with God and with the Scriptures, we have something to share with others.

Our ability to share with others is strengthened whenever we perform any act of selfless sharing.  With our family members, with the people at church, with our fellow lectors who are seeking to make a difference through their ministry.

Perhaps, a plan of continuing study and reflection for lectors may enhance their ability to share God’s Word.  More on this next week.

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"He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church."

                                                            - The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n.7

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First Reading  -  Micah 5:1-4a

The Promise of Better Times

The prophets Micah and Isaiah were contemporaries.  Micah was born in a rural village called Moreseth.  He used strong language to condemn the Israelites for their shabby treatment of the poor and disenfranchised.   Isaiah was a more cosmopolitan person, a man of the city, who condemned kings for bad foreign policies.

However, both prophets also had similarities.  Together, Micah and Isaiah prophesied bad things for Judah because of its transgressions.  And, when they promised better times for Zion, they both used exactly the same words:

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.  One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again” (Micah 4:3, Isaiah 2:4).

Apparently, both prophets knew a good verse when they saw it.

According to Micah, better times for Zion would come in the form of a new Davidic king, “whose origin is from of old,” and who ““shall stand firm and shepherd his flock.” 

Today, we have seen the fulfillment off Micah’s prophecy.  Our new king has come.  Micah looked to the future believing that the new king “shall be peace.”   On this, the last Sunday of Advent, we know that he was right.

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Second Reading  -  Hebrews 10:5-10

Once for All

In the first half of today’s second reading, the author of Hebrews reports on a conversation Jesus had with his Father.  In the second half, the author gives us an explanation of what was said.

The substance of the conversation is similar to the message we heard five weeks ago on the 33^rd Sunday of Ordinary time.  In that Sunday’s reading which was taken from verses immediately preceding today’s passage, the author writes, “Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins” (Hebrews 10:6).

In today’s reading, we hear why Old Testament sacrifices could never take away sins.  As Jesus says to his Father, “In holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.”  Forgiveness of sins could only be achieved “once for all” by the perfect sacrifice of the cross.

And the sacrifice of the cross could only happen if there was an Incarnation - the birth of Christ, two days from today.

© 2012 George Fournier

Third Sunday of Advent
December 16, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, human beings composed the sacred Scriptures centuries ago.

With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, human beings continue to proclaim the same Scriptures today.

In a fundamental way, the job of the people who wrote the Scriptures and the job of people who proclaim the Scriptures are very similar.  They both are jobs that involve making God’s Word present to others.  They both are jobs that are powerfully life-changing.

New lectors experience many strong and often conflicting emotions when they first approach the ambo.  Excitement and joy.  Nervousness and doubt.  Feelings of inadequacy.  Feelings of fulfilling God’s purpose.  All these are feelings that are present when answering God’s call.

Experienced lectors often experience these same feelings.  But they also discover the ways in which lectoring can change their lives.  Over time, Scripture takes on a new and more vital meaning.  A personal meaning.  Over time, sharing the Scriptures involves an entirely new way of connecting with others - connecting with a church community while worshiping God together.

Ultimately, lectoring becomes an essential way of fulfilling our Baptismal responsibility to minister to others.  In the process, lectoring also becomes an essential part of who we are.

We know this is true because we feel it.  We know this is true because the Holy Spirit guides us.

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"Baptism and confirmation empower all believers to share in some form of ministry.  Although the specific form of participation in ministry varies according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all who share in this work are united with one another,"

                                                      - Called and Gifted: The American Catholic Laity

                                                         U.S. Bishops' Committee on the Laity, 1980

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First Reading  -  Zephaniah 3:14-18a

A Happy Ending

If all you knew about the Book of Zephaniah is what you read in the verses of today’s first reading, you would think things were going pretty well for “daughter Jerusalem.”  However, you might also be surprised to discover that in earlier verses Jerusalem is called a rebellious, polluted and tyrannical city.  A far cry from “Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!”

What is going on here?

What is going on are the failings of Judah’s judges, prophets and priests who adopted Assyrian pagan practices.  The Assyrians had conquered the northern ten tribes of Israel and were now importing pagan rites into the temple in Jerusalem.  Israel’s covenant with God had been put on the shelf - at least by the Israelites.  In three short chapters, Zephaniah describes in sad detail how bad things had gotten.

However, at the very end of his book, Zephaniah promises a happy ending, all due to God’s mercy.  After a great devastation, God will restore the remnant, the people who are humble and lowly. 

Things do not always go so well in our own time either.  Thankfully, our church reminds us each year of the miracle of Christmas, the miracle of the Incarnation.  In this reading for the Third Sunday in Advent, we are given a real reason to hope for another happy ending.

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Second Reading  -  Philippians 4:4-7

Sincerity and Love

Put yourself in the place of those who will hear you proclaim the second reading this weekend. 

What a comfort it is to hear, “Have no anxiety at all.”   However, these words will only be comforting if the lector who says them is both sincere and believable.

Genuine sincerity is essential for believability.

“Rejoice in the Lord always.”  With these words, what a wonderful opportunity lectors have to lift the spirits of others.  However, it will only be uplifting if the encouragement to rejoice is real, and not simply an empty expression that has lost its meaning.

Paul really loved the people in Philippi, a community of believers he established, and with whom he stayed connected.  His love for them shines brightly in every word and phrase in this passage. 

Genuine love is essential for lifting spirits.  And your sincere love for your hearers will help them believe that “the Lord is near."

© 2012 George Fournier

Second Sunday of Advent
December 9, 2012

Reflection on Lectoring

“For many, hearing the readings at Mass is the only time they encounter the Scriptures during the entire week.”

This was the striking but true observation expressed during a recent lector workshop at my parish in Florida.  It was made by a new lector who recognized that she had accepted a very great responsibility - the very real job of making the Word of God a living reality for hundreds of people.

During the last few weeks, we have used the term “Scripture people” of the parish to describe the job of lector.  It is a term that creates identity.  Defines a purpose.  Creates expectation.  And asks the question, “Who am I?”

In several of our Reflections on Lectoring over the past year, we have also said that proclaiming the Scriptures involves more than reading a few words for a few minutes.  That can be done by anyone who can read.  Simple reading is not enough.  Genuine proclaiming must be done by someone with a deep love for the Word and for the people who hear the Word.


In his book, Messengers of God’s Word, Father Joseph Champlin comments on what is immediately apparent to people in the assembly as the lector approaches the ambo and begins to speak: “The community gathered for worship simply senses that he or she (the lector) believes, loves the Scripture, prays, prepares conscientiously and has a humble, yet confident awareness of the lector’s dignity.”

Lectors must continue to strive for a deep awareness of the dignity of their ministry.  They must also have a personal understanding of what it means to be the “Scripture people” of the parish.

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"In the readings, the table of God's Word is spread before the faithful, and the treasures of the Bible are opened to them."

                                              - General Instruction of the Roman Missal, paragraph 57

 

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First Reading  -  Baruch 5:1-9
2500 Years Later

In this first reading, there is a prophetic voice saying, “Up, Jerusalem! Stand upon the heights.”  On Sunday, it will be the voice of the lector.

In lines of exuberant poetry, the Prophet Baruch tells mother Jerusalem that her children are coming back from their Babylonian captivity.  God will restore them to their homeland.

Twenty-five hundred years ago, this was exciting news, the kind that would stir people to have hope.  To what degree does this excitement carry forward to today - even to the moment when you, as lector, say these words at Mass?  Is the joy that is found in the words, “for God is leading Israel in joy” meant only for people who lived long ago?  Or, can people alive today also feel that same joy?

Although the words of Scripture clearly do speak to people today, they still require prayer and reflection to convey a present-day meaning.  Also required is a love of the Word if the lector is to be an effective prophetic voice in today’s world.

What is needed on the Second Sunday of Advent is your prophetic voice.

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Second Reading  -  Phillippians 1:4-6, 8-11
True Friends

It is good to have friends you can count on, especially when you are in jail.  The Philippians were real friends, sending Epaphroditus to Paul for company, along with a sum of money for support.

For Paul, the Philippians are “partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7).  Remarkably, Paul’s imprisonment becomes an opportunity to promote the gospel when his followers take “encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment” and “dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly” (1:14).

Despite being written in jail, Philippians is one of Paul’s most cheerful letters, full of emotional warmth and expressions of friendship.  The words of today’s second reading also show how deeply Paul feels the pain of separation from his brothers and sisters: “God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

The church in Philippi was not without its problems, but it was united by a “partnership in the gospel” and by a love that continued to grow with prayer.  Perhaps, the words you proclaim at Mass this weekend will have the same effect on the people with whom you worship.

© George Fournier 2012