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.
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
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.
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
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
