Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 3, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

We all know that we need doctors to cure our diseases, engineers to build our bridges, and farmers to grow our food.  But are we equally sure that we need artists, musicians, or poets to help us live well?

Imagine you are planning a new colony on a distant planet.  Whom would you want on your spaceship’s passenger list?  Engineers or artists?

Here’s another question.  Would you also want to have a lector on board, someone with a genuine calling to proclaim the Scriptures?

What do lectors do that makes their presence at Mass essential? Could they be replaced by a period of silent reading?  Is there something about lectoring that cannot be accomplished in any other way?   

You initially became a lector because you believed lectors do have an important role at Mass.  Perhaps over time that belief took on greater clarity.  There is value in occasionally thinking about your role and about the difference you make at Mass.  There is also value in sharing those thoughts with other lectors.  When a lector has a clear understanding about why he or she is a lector, the assembly will take notice.

There are some artists, musicians and poets who would always be welcome as fellow travelers on any journey.  Perhaps the same can be said about thoughtful, prayerful and effective lectors.

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“In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will.”

                                                                     -  Ephesians 1:11

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First Reading  -  Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
A Job to Do

This is one of the most reassuring Scripture passages in the entire Bible.

God has a plan for you.  The details may not always be clear.  But God has a mission for you with important goals to accomplish.  That is what God tells a somewhat stunned Jeremiah who objects by saying, “I do not know how to speak, I am too young” (ch.1 v.8).

Despite the fact that responding to God’s plan may not always be easy, there is comfort in knowing that we do not have to wander through life aimlessly.  The hard part is listening and understanding.

In this week’s Reflection on Lectoring we made the point that being a lector is part of God’s plan for those whom he chooses.  One of the messages in today’s first reading is that we can be effective in this ministry if we truly believe that the plan originates with God.

In a similar way, there is a plan for every person sitting in front of you in the assembly.  If your reading can help them believe that more strongly, you have truly fulfilled God’s plan for you.

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Second Reading  -  1 Corinthians 12:31, 13:13
The Measure of Health

In recent weeks, we have seen that the Corinthians needed a lot of advice on how to get along.  Diversity was a hard notion for them.  Looking better than the guy next door often supplanted feeling connected with their neighbors.

Today’s second reading (a favorite for wedding ceremonies) sounds like sweet and beautify poetry.  But there is a vitally important message.  A life and death message about the health and wellbeing of a community.

Love can serve as a yardstick for measuring how healthy a community or any group of people really is.  More so than the numbers of people who vote in elections.  More than how many people “like” something on Facebook.  More than the balance sheet of a company. 

Lectors have a unique responsibility to add to the love present in a worshiping community.  It is their job to love the people to whom they proclaim the Scriptures.  Especially when the Scripture reading is all about love.

©  George Fournier 2013

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 27, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

This is a great weekend to be a lector.

In the first reading, Ezra opens the scroll, and all the people raised their hands and shouted, “Amen, amen!”  In the Gospel, Jesus unrolled the scroll and talked about glad tidings to an assembly that listened intently.  In the second reading, Paul talks about everyone having a role to play in building up the church.  It is clear when reflecting on these three readings that lectors can find parallels to their own role in building up the church.

In a recent column entitled: “10 Questions for Better Preparation” by George Miller, http://lectorresources.com/blog.html?entry=10-questions-for-better-preparation  the author says, “The thrill of proclaiming God’s word comes when we know our reading so well that we can’t wait to tell it to the assembly, in the same way as when we can’t wait to give exciting news to friends.”

He is not exaggerating.  There should be a thrill.  The lector should find it hard to wait to share God’s word with the assembly.  What you are reading is exciting news.  Really.

Ezra must have been thrilled and honored.  Paul most certainly was convinced that God gave each of us a role in making him present to our brothers and sisters.  The people who heard Jesus in the synagogue marveled at how he made the words of the Scripture come alive.  Proclaiming the Good News is a high calling.

This weekend is a great weekend to be a lector.  So are they all.

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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”

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First Reading  -  Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
The Thrill of Proclaiming

When the Israelites returned from the Babylonian captivity in 538 BC, they had a lot of work to do.  In 515 BC they rebuilt their demolished temple.  Later in 445 BC when Nehemiah asked the Persian king to make him governor of Judah, he had a reconstruction plan in mind.  One of his most famous projects was the rebuilding of a wall around Jerusalem - now known as the Nehemiah wall.

There was, however, another kind of rebuilding that was just as important.  The law of Moses had given the people of Israel their identity before their exile.  Now, after their exile, the law was just as essential for healing and rebuilding.  Nehemiah built a wall.  Ezra helped his people find their soul.

Judging by the rejoicing of the people when they heard Ezra’s reading, they clearly understood the importance of what he had proclaimed to them.  It is also clear that Ezra knew how to get the message across: “Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.”

It is also apparent that Ezra was thrilled to be the person chosen to proclaim God’s word.  You can sense him celebrating with his hearers when he says, “For rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!”

In your role as lector, you are chosen to do much the same thing as Ezra.  You have been chosen to open the scroll.

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Second Reading  -  1 Corinthians 12:12-30
The Best Source of Advice

Last week in the beginning of chapter 12 from 1 Corinthians, Paul itemizes nine different ways in which members of a local church (in this case, the church in Corinth) can help to build up the assembly.  This week, he connects all nine ways together with an analogy.

This is a relatively long reading, almost a homily in itself.  Is it appropriate for lectors to reflect on the reading’s message for themselves without first seeking advice from somewhere else?  The first question George Miller asks in his comments referred to above is: “What is the central theme?”

You can find a theme in our lector workbook.  Or you can put some thought and prayer into discerning the message for yourself - and trust that the Holy Spirit is the best source of advice.  After that, you can look to see if other informed sources agree with you.

Perhaps just one thought is in order.   You, in your role as lector, are greatly needed by all the other parts of the body.  In turn, you greatly need them also.

© 2013 George Fournier

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 20, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Since most lectors are not bible scholars or theologians, are they really qualified to share the Scriptures with the assembly at Mass? Perhaps it would be better for lectors to concentrate solely on good articulation and good diction, and allow the assembly to find meaning in the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps there might also be an additional possibility.  Maybe lectors should recognize that theology is not just for theologians.

Like every one of us, theologians and bible scholars must also do a lot of soul searching to understand their faith and the message of their faith.  After all, it took until 325 AD before the Council of Nicaea was able to declare formally that Jesus was “consubstantial with the Father.”  A lot of prayer, a lot of years, and sometimes a lot of heated debate were needed to better understand this essential article of faith.

The job of the lector is not to declare new articles of faith.  However, lectors should not be timid about proclaiming the presence of God that they personally experience in the Scriptures.  Lectors should never be timid about showing the depth of their own faith.

The people in the assembly are much more likely to find meaning in the readings, when they see the lector has also found meaning.  At the end of the reading, they are more likely to respond with conviction, “Thanks be to God” when they hear the lector say with genuine belief, “The Word of the Lord.”

That is real sharing.

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“I believe in one God . . . ”

                                             -  The Nicene Creed 

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First Reading  -  Isaiah 62:1-5
A Big Celebration

Beginning in chapter 60 and continuing through to today’s reading from chapter 62, there is a high level of unrestrained enthusiasm about the prospects for a glorious Jerusalem.  After the total destruction of their homeland and years of captivity, Isaiah says it is now time for the Israelites to celebrate - to really celebrate.

In today’s first reading, there are images of wedding celebrations, coronations and ultimate victory.  It is the kind of pep talk that is designed to encourage the Israelites to reclaim their homeland as well as the covenant made to them by God.

How do Isaiah’s words of encouragement translate to present day circumstances?  When proclaiming this Scripture, should the lector demonstrate the same level of enthusiasm as Isaiah did centuries ago?  What is the proper way for the lector to tell the assembly, “I will not be silent”?

The answers to these questions are best determined by each individual lector.  Making these kinds of decisions is part of every lector’s job description.  Perhaps by reading chapters 60 through 62 you may discover some of the answers for yourself.

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Second Reading  -  1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
The Essential Ingredient

Paul begins chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians by saying, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (v.1).  It seems that the Corinthians had the all-too-common ability to turn a good thing into a source for dissension.  So Paul sets out to explain the right way to understand the nature of gifts and what they are for.

By instructing the Corinthians, Paul also presents a helpful way to understand what lectors are called to do today.

Verse 4 talks about different kinds of spiritual gifts.  They are the charisms, the manifestations of the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 5 talks about different forms of service.  They are the ministries, the different expressions of the mission of the Lord which are now carried out by his people.

Verse 6 talks about different workings.  They are the results of service, the kind of positive results that rely on “the same God who produces all of them in everyone.”

What is the essential ingredient that unites and perfects these gifts, service and workings?  You are invited to read chapter 13 to find out.

© 2013, George Fournier

The Baptism of the Lord
January 13, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Depending on the liturgical season, the response, “Amen” may be spoken aloud by worshipers at Sunday Mass as many as 10 times.  That is a large number of shared expressions of belief and affirmation.

Some of those “amens” include:

             -   The amen following the statement of faith in the Nicene Creed

             -   The Great Amen following the Doxology in the Eucharistic Prayer

             -   The amen spoken as each communicant  receives the Body and Blood of Christ

In our recent Reflections on Lectoring, we have considered the special importance of sharing.   Sharing is not a technique.  It involves feelings.  For lectors, real sharing comes from a sincere desire to make the Scriptures come alive for others.

One way to develop and enhance your sense of sharing is through your heartfelt proclamation of  “amen” together with your fellow worshipers at Mass.  It is not something you do alone.  Your “amen” is a communal expression of belief and affirmation.  And by listening prayerfully to how your “amen” joins with the “amen” of others, you can experience a true sense of genuine community. 

Another important way to experience a sense of community occurs when you exchange a handshake of peace.  Saying, “Peace be with you,” is an act of sharing by which you express a sincere wish for the well-being of others.

The Mass offers many opportunities to deepen your understanding of sharing.  It is the kind of understanding that can give greater sincerity and life to your lectoring.  Amen.

 More on this kind of sharing next week.

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“Jesus Christ himself is the “Amen.”  He is the definitive “Amen” of the Father’s love for us.”

                                             -  Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1065 

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First Reading  -  Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
Glad to Be a Lector

There are some readings that can make you feel glad to be a lector.  In today’s first reading there is comfort, forgiveness, good news, and a loving shepherd who feeds his flock. There is enough here to make every lector and every member of the assembly smile.

This reading begins the section of the Book of Isaiah known as Second Isaiah.  It marks a change in tone from the first part of the book.  The setting is the heavenly court with God’s angels in attendance.  It was the earthly court of king Cyrus of Persia that issued the decree releasing the Israelites from exile in Babylon.   But Isaiah makes it clear that it is God who is the ultimate source of Zion’s deliverance.

The reading starts with a command from God to, “give comfort to my people.”  Then one of the angels in the heavenly court cries out that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.”  Finally, Zion is instructed to proclaim, “Here is your God!”

Of course, the only person whom the assembly will hear saying these words is you.  Although you may not sound like God or an angel, you can look and sound like someone who has very good news to share with your fellow worshipers.

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Second Reading  -  Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7
No Easy Job

This reading is an example of why lectors need to practice.  One hundred and forty-two words crammed into only two sentences.

Titus was one of Paul’s assistants best known for delivering Paul’s “tearful letter” to the Corinthians and for taking up a collection in Corinth for the Christian community in Jerusalem.  At the time of this letter, Titus was in charge of developing the church on the island of Crete.

It was no easy job.  In his letter to Titus, Paul quotes from a Cretan poet of the sixth century B.C. named Epimenides who wrote, “Cretans have always been liars, vicious beasts and lazy gluttons” (chapter 1 verse.12).  If you read all three chapters of this letter, you will see what Titus was up against.

Fortunately, instead of quoting Epimenides, you will proclaim to the assembly Paul’s understanding of where Christians derive their strength and identity.  It is the same source of strength and identity available to you and to your hearers at Mass.  “The grace of God has appeared,” And, as Paul says, it is available to all of us.

© 2013, George Fournier