Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 5, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

A genuine faith in God, like hope and charity, is a theological virtue that you cannot get too much of.  It is a gift from God that is always available, but is often kept in the background as we think about daily schedules, family and job-related responsibilities, and how to pay the bills.

In a world where getting things done is what matters most, spending time in seeking greater faith can sometimes seem like a luxury.  Sometimes also, helping others discover the true value of faith can feel like presumption, especially when the one who shares his or her faith has insecurities about his or her own beliefs.

There is, however, something about which everyone can be certain: God has placed in our hearts a desire to know him and trust him.  We can also be certain that, by our baptism, God has also made it possible for everyone to be a faithful witness.

The Second Vatican Council, in its document Lumen Gentium (Light of Humanity), makes all this clear by saying, “Each individual layman must be a witness before the world to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus, and a sign of the living God” (38).

How then does a lector interpret his or her role as a witness? 

Faith can be reinforced or diminished by our example.  Faith can look authentic and vital, or it can look like an empty afterthought with no connection to real life.  People who attend Mass are looking for authentic examples of real faith.  They are looking for real witnesses who can energize faith.

People really want faith-filled liturgies, faith-filled homilies, faith-filled communal praying and singing, and faith-filled proclamations of the Scriptures.  They really do.

Lectors have an immense responsibility to their fellow worshipers.  Through their ministry, they have an obligation to be faith-filled signs “of the living God.”

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First Reading  -  Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Dissension and Debate

In last weekend’s first reading, Paul and Barnabas returned to the Church in Antioch from a very eventful missionary journey.  However, along with their success came some serious questions about what should be required of Gentile converts.

Some of the Jews in Jerusalem were not happy about Paul’s belief that the law of Moses need not apply to Gentiles.  The result: “no little dissension and debate.”

The early Church was no stranger to disagreements.  It took centuries to iron out questions about the nature of the Creator, the person of Jesus, and the structure and authority of the Church.    Perhaps important subjects like these always deserve a lot of serious discussion.

The Council of Jerusalem became the model for how to resolve really important questions.  As today’s first reading shows, the apostles and elders relied on good judgment and the Holy Spirit for help in discerning an answer that would stand the test of time.

Lectors might do well to read the entire 15th chapter of Acts to get a sense of the factions and personalities involved.  It was an exciting time for people of faith.  It was a time in the Church’s early history worth remembering when encountering today’s dissensions and debates.

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Second Reading  -  Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Splendor and Radiance

How likely is it that the people attending Mass this weekend will know much about jasper?  One definition has it that jasper is an opaque, impure variety of silica found in many colors.  It is derived from the Greek word for “spotted stone.”

Since lectors are not permitted to embellish their readings with additional commentary, they might wonder what their hearers at Mass will make of “jasper, clear as crystal,” or of a city that had “twelve courses of stones as its foundation.”

While it may be helpful for lectors to consult Scripture commentaries to better understand the meaning behind the descriptions of the “holy city Jerusalem,” (one commentary draws a parallel to Ephesians 2:29, “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets’), the symbolism may not resonate very strongly with their hearers. 

What may be more important is the overall feeling of “splendor” and “radiance” that describes the new Jerusalem.  It is a city that “had no need of sun or moon to shine on it.”  Rather, “the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.”

Perhaps the most important message to remember is the glorious destiny made available to all of God’s creatures by the sacrifice of the Lamb.  It is the glorious destiny available to everyone at Mass who hears you proclaim these glorious words.

© George Fournier 2013

Fifth Sunday of Easter
April 28, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

“After a mother has smiled for some time at her child, it will begin to smile back; she has awakened love in its heart.”

In his book, Love Alone: The Way to Revelation quoted above, Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, “God expresses himself before man as love.”  It is a dialogue of love between God and his creatures which mirrors the love shared by a mother and her child.

It is a loving dialogue that enables faith to flourish in ourselves and then extend outward to include others.  For it is by our love that others recognize the authenticity of our faith.

Lectoring is one means for achieving that dialogue of love, and through it, an authentic sharing of our faith.  It starts with our experiencing in prayer the love that radiates from God.  It continues outward to our neighbor as St. Paul wrote,  “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Lectoring is a statement of both love and faith.  It is more than a simple reading of facts about God.  It is ministry performed by real flesh and blood people. By people who have been open to the love of God.  And by people who share the glory of God through the authenticity of their love for others.

That is what lectors do.

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First Reading  -  Acts 14:21-27
The Journey Ahead

Today’s first reading brings to a conclusion Paul’s first missionary journey which he began in last weekend’s first reading.

And what a first journey it was.  Paul was run out of town three times.  The third time, he was dragged out half dead after being stoned.  In Lystra, they wanted to make him a God after he cured a man unable to walk.  And in just about every place he went, there were people who really liked what Paul had to say, as well as people who really hated what he had to say.

In an almost understated way Luke quotes Paul and Barnabas as saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  Yet, despite all the turmoil, they still managed to appoint elders in each church and commended them to the Lord with prayers and fasting.

As you prepare to proclaim this reading, you might do well to ask: How is the Good News received by people today?  Are there people like Paul still around?  To what extent does a lector continue Paul’s mission?

Paul still had two more missionary journeys ahead of him.  Where do you want your next journey to take you?

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Second Reading  -  Revelation 21:1-5a
The Ideal Place to Live

Today’s second reading brings us nearly to the end of the Book of Revelation.  It describes a new Jerusalem where injustice, pain and even death will be conquered when the “old order has passed away.”

When the Babylonian empire destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC, the prophet Ezekiel promised a restoration, “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people” (37: 27).  Echoing Ezekiel, John hears the voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.  He will dwell with them and they will be his people.”

This new Jerusalem will be more than just a restoration of the old order under the terms of the old covenant.  It will be something brand new.  However, it will still be a place for real people, not a mythical palace meant only for mythical beings.

Your hearers at Mass this weekend can take comfort in knowing that God’s mercy and justice are ultimately supreme.  However, even before the apocalyptic arrival of the new Jerusalem occurs, they can take comfort in knowing that God is already dwelling with them whenever two or three are gathered in his name.

Next week, in the second reading we shall read about a very imaginative and colorful description of the new Jerusalem.

© George Fournier 2013

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 21, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

In today’s first reading, Paul’s reference to a passage from Isaiah causes real consternation among many of the Jews of his time.  It raises the life-or-death question of, “What will become of us?”

In Isaiah chapter 49, verse 6, the Lord calls his servant Israel with the words, “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”  Paul believes his mission to the Gentiles is in line with God’s call when he says to the people of Antioch, “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 13:47).

From Paul’s perspective, his mission was a fulfillment of the Scriptures.  Many Jews, however, were troubled by the implications of Paul’s interpretation of Isaiah.  They found themselves forced to ask such questions as, “Are we a light to the nations, or are we to become just one small group of people lost in a very large, world-wide crowd?”  “Will we succumb to inevitable assimilation, suffering the loss of our individuality and identity?”  The 2000-year history of the Jews was built on their unique relationship with God.  Their future after Paul’s preaching could rest on their answer to very important questions of faith and identity.

Fast forward 1,900 years.  The Pillar of Fire is an autobiography by Karl Stern, a Catholic who converted from Orthodox Judaism.  It was not easy.  Writing about a time when he had rediscovered the richness of his Jewish faith, Stern finds himself conflicted by the possibility that Jesus really was the Messiah.  He writes, “Just when I had rediscovered Judaism, just when I had become immensely proud of my spiritual heritage . . .  just when I had found something absolutely certain ,” he is faced with the decision to “abandon what I had found.”

Karl Stern had an intimate and personal understanding of the turmoil some of the Jews from Paul’s time must have felt.

Lectors should always be aware that God gave us Scriptures that speak to the human heart and experience.  Scriptures are about real feelings, real joys, real confusion and real uncertainty.  Through the Scriptures, God speaks to all of his people whom he understands very well.

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First Reading  -  Acts 13:44, 43-52
Paul Would Be Proud

This week’s Reflection on Lectoring describes some of the human feelings and emotions aroused by Paul during his first visit to Antioch in Pisidia.  Some people were enthusiastic, some were curious, some were jealous, and some demonstrated open hostility.

Clearly something was happening that meant a great deal to a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

Perhaps a successful proclamation of today’s first reading begins with an understanding of why Paul’s message generated so much emotional response.  Perhaps, equally important is an understanding of why that message is just as compelling and world-changing today. 

Lectors might do well to find within themselves the same depth of feeling about Paul’s message  -  a depth of feeling they can share with their hearers at Mass.  Paul would be proud if you do.

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Second Reading  -  Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
A Happy Ending

Happy endings give people a feeling of resolution, hopefulness and confidence.  These positive feelings are made even stronger if the rest of the story contains struggle and hardship.  That is how apocalyptic literature like the Book of Revelation works.

In John’s vision, we see that the promise of a happy ending has already been realized in heaven by those “who have survived the time of great distress.”  They are the faithful who stand before God’s throne.  We also see back on earth, although there are still trials and hardships, we can, nevertheless, be absolutely certain that Christ has won the final victory.

This is not some kind of abstract, cosmic victory that is beyond the ability of flesh-and-blood people to understand.  In a very concrete and comforting way, there will be no more hunger or thirst.  The temperature will be just right (“Nor will the sun or any heat strike them”).  There will be “springs of life-giving water.”  And there will be no more pain or loss (“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’).

If the hardship is real, so is the victory.  It is a story with a very happy ending that is promised by God, and proclaimed by the lector.

© George Fournier 2013

Third Sunday of Easter
April 14, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

How fortunate lectors are.

At Sunday Mass, lectors have hundreds of people with whom they can share what God has shared with them.  What God speaks to each lector through the Scriptures, the lector speaks from the ambo to his or her friends and fellow worshipers.

Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is an example of this kind of prayerful sharing.   In the Garden of Gethsemane before his death, Jesus prays to his Father about his disciples, and recalls the words he has shared with them. 

The words he shared come from God: “Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them” (verses 7-8).

The words the disciples received are to be shared with others: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their words” (verse 20).

And finally, all who hear and believe the word are very special to God: “Father, they are your gift to me” (verse 24).

God allows lectors to have a role in this continued sharing of his word.  If you read all of Chapter 17 you will come to the words, “I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

Lectors are truly blessed to be part of this divine conversation.

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First Reading  -  Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41
Radical Change

Today’s first reading starts out by telling us that the Sanhedrin had given the apostles a stern warning “to stop teaching in that name.”  When that first warning failed to do much good, the Sanhedrin again ordered them “to stop speaking in the name of Jesus.”

The apostles were an incorrigible bunch and immediately started rejoicing.  The verse following today’s reading indicates how much they thought of the Sanhedrin’s warnings: “And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus.”

What a change from the earlier way in which the apostles responded to fear and pressure.   When Jesus was arrested in the garden, the apostles “all left him and fled” (Mark 14:50).  In the courtyard of the high priest, afraid for his safety, Peter denied Jesus three times.  Perhaps people can change.

Today’s reading is all about truly remarkable change.  It is easy to overlook the very radical nature of this change because we have heard the story so many times before.

Maybe it is the lector’s job to give this story new life.  Maybe it is the lector’s job to help his or her hearers marvel at what happened before the Sanhedrin and in the homes and streets of Jerusalem.

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First Reading  -  Revelation 5:11-14  
Beyond Bewilderment

In his book, Revelation, Wilfrid J. Harrington writes, “The reader faced for the first time with the Book of Revelation is, understandably, bewildered.”  He goes on to suggest that Revelation, more than any other book in the New Testament, demands commentary and analysis.

In today’s second reading, reference is made to “four living creatures” and a group of elders (there were 24 of them).  You can check in the first chapter of Ezekiel to find out more about the living creatures who supported God’s chariot throne.  You might also consult commentaries about who the elders were.  There is a lot of rich symbolism that would enhance your understanding of the story.

You might also spend some time reflecting on the sheer joy of the celebration of the Lamb’s victory.

In this reading there are countless (infinite) numbers of angels in heaven crying out.  Every creature on the earth, under the earth and in the sea cries out.  Everything in the entire universe cheers wildly.  The celebration must have been deafening.

Your hearers this weekend may not know much about the four living creatures, but they can, through your proclamation, come away with a good reason for believing that God’s goodness will triumph.

©  George Fournier, 2013

Second Sunday of Easter
April 7, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Self-abnegation.

What a thought-provoking word.  Do people whose purpose in life is to serve the needs of others make the greatest difference?  Or do people who influence others in order to advance their own cause have more impact on the world? 

Serving and influencing are not mutually exclusive.  Christ did both.  He was the model of the servant leader.  What is mutually exclusive, however, is the desire to serve others on the one hand, as compared to controlling others for personal gain. 

Lectors understand the difference.   In today’s society, there are many self-serving messages aimed at people every day.  By comparison, a minister of the Word seeks to serve others first, and, in offering that service, provide an invitation to the assembly to be encouraged, enlightened and changed by the Scriptures.

Cardinal John Henry Newman understood the concept of self-abnegation.   He understood the importance of subordinating his needs to God’s plan.  In the collection of his meditations entitled Meditations and Devotions he wrote, “Let me be Thy blind instrument.  I ask not to see - I ask not to know - I ask simply to be used.”

Cardinal Newman was a person of great influence both before and after his conversion to Catholicism.  God used him and he answered, “Yes.”  Lectors may never fully know how others benefit from their service.  But they can be certain they have an important and unique role in God’s plan.  With that knowledge, they can also come to a better understanding of the meaning of self-abnegation.

“I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.  He has not created me for naught.  I shall do good, I shall do His work.”  -  Cardinal Newman

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First Reading  -  Acts 5:12-16
Nonstop Action

Chapters 4 and 5 of Acts describe scenes of nonstop, almost chaotic activity.  There are even touches of humor along with great danger and fear lurking close by.

The fear is evident in the words, “None of the others dared to join them.”  For good reason.  Right before the story of today’s first reading, Peter and John were preaching in Solomon’s portico when the Sadducees took them into custody and threatened bad things if they continued preaching.

However, that threat does little to slow the apostles down.  After being released, Peter and John go right back to Solomon’s portico and are arrested once more.  Unfortunately for the Sadducees, an angel gets them out of jail in the middle of the night, and when the Sanhedrin convenes the next day, they find that Peter and John are back out in the streets.

Of course, the apostles get arrested for a third time.  And, after some backstage maneuvering by a Pharisee named Gamaliel, they are flogged and released.  You can read Acts chapter 5, verse 42 to find out what the apostles do next. The guys who are supposed to be in charge are looking a little foolish.

In their preparation, lectors might also reflect on the chaotic scenes of the “large number of people from the towns” who crowd around the apostles, and who “even carried the sick out into the streets” to be healed.  This is not a quiet, uneventful passage.  These were not quiet, uneventful times.

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Second Reading  -  Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
Blessed be . . .

In the Book of Revelation John has some nice things to say about lectors.  Right in the very beginning of the book in chapter 1 verse 3, he presents the first of seven beatitudes that are reminiscent of the Sermon on the Mount.  The first of these beatitudes reads, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message.”

Apocalyptic literature like the Book of Revelation was written in times of hardship and

persecution.  People needed to hear that God was ultimately in charge, and that the people who practiced “endurance” would share in God’s ultimate victory.

The sometimes cryptic references to gold lampstands, gold sashes, and fantastic beasts were well understood by the people of the time.  They were a powerful way to paint memorable pictures in words.

What was not symbolic was the island of Patmos, a Roman prison colony in the Aegean Sea, a little more than 13 square miles in size.  Neither was the “distress” of persecution experienced by many Christians.

What then should a lector do with obscure images that convey a very real, very urgent message?  Perhaps chapter 1 verse 3 offers the best suggestion.  Read this weekend’s entire passage out loud.  Record your reading.  And listen to what the assembly will hear this weekend.  John said you will be blessed.

© George Fournier, 2013