Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 3, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Why do Scripture readings at Mass sometimes seem to vanish like smoke before the wind soon after they are proclaimed?   You have heard it frequently said: “If more people truly believed in their hearts that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, our churches would be filled to overflowing.”  No one would want to miss an opportunity to be close to the God who loves us so much.  And yet, many people do.

What about the words?  Do the words of Scripture heard at Mass fall to the ground like the leaves in Fall, to be covered by snow in the Winter?  Or do people truly believe that the Lord can be alive and present in his word?

It does little good to indict secular society, consumerism or the mass media as obstacles that make belief difficult.  We can only look to ourselves and decide how to encounter our current culture and environment without diminishing our faith.

Sorting through conflicting ways of thinking and believing takes time and patience, along with a long-term commitment.  For lectors, it is also involves acknowledging their mission to serve and their important role in sustaining genuine belief.

Lectors know they cannot share what they do not have.  They know they have a responsibility to proclaim the words of Scripture as living and effective.  They know they have a role to play in making the Mass an opportunity to feel closer to God.  All this is true because they know that God’s presence can be found in his word.

Fall and Winter are followed by Spring.  Prompted by the Holy Spirit, people still have a desire to believe.   And lectors still have the job of helping to make God present to others.

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First Reading  -  Wisdom 11:22,  12:2
The Power of Love

Several Sundays ago, the first reading gave us these words from God spoken to Moses, “Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them” (Exodus 32:10). A really angry God seemed ready to inflict severe punishment on his chosen people because they had declared allegiance to a molten calf.

Today’s first reading (thankfully!) gives us another image of God. 

“But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls. . .”  This reading from the Book of Wisdom reveals an infinite God who has an unconditional love for all his creation.

This passage does not suggest that God’s justice no longer applies when we sin.  Instead what is seen is God’s approach: “For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made.”  In God’s relationship with his creatures, love comes first.

Perhaps Moses understood that also when he asks God, “Why, O Lord, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand?” (Exodus 32: 11)

Love does not win souls by raw power.  It wins precisely because it does not resort to power.  Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross makes the message of today’s first reading abundantly clear.

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Second Reading  -  2 Thessalonians 1:11 - 2:2
A Reading in Two Parts

These four verses from 2 Thessalonians may offer the lector one of the greatest challenges found in all three cycles of Sunday Mass readings.

The first half of the reading is a wonderful prayer by Paul for the members of the church in Thessalonica who serve as powerful witnesses to God’s love.  Supported by the “grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul prays that the name of the Lord “may be glorified in you.” People will see Christ when each believer acts in a manner “worthy of his calling.”

Then everything changes.

The second half warns of forged letters and bogus pronouncements made in the assembly.  The people responsible for these falsehoods create alarm and shake people out of their minds.  The danger cannot be stated any more clearly.  There are false witnesses who undermine the good work performed by the true witnesses for whom Paul prayed.

This is a reading that ends abruptly on a very unhappy note.  Listen to the effect this has by asking someone to read it to you.  Then read for yourself how the second half starts: “We ask you, brothers and sisters.”  The first half is a request made by Paul to God.  The second half is a request made by Paul to God’s people.

© George Fournier 2013

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 27, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

You have heard it frequently said: “If more people truly believed in their hearts that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, our churches would be filled to overflowing.”  No one would want to miss an opportunity to be close to the God who loves us so much.  And yet, many people do.

What about the words?  Do the words of Scripture heard at Mass fall to the ground like leaves in Fall, to be covered by snow in the Winter?  Or do people truly believe that the Lord can be found in his word?

It does little good to indict secular society, consumerism or the mass media as obstacles that make belief difficult.  We can only look to ourselves and decide how to encounter our current culture and environment without diminishing our faith.

Sorting through conflicting ways of thinking and believing takes time and patience, along with a long-term commitment.  For lectors, it is also involves acknowledging their mission to serve others and their role in sustaining genuine belief.

Lectors know that they cannot share what they do not have.  They know that they have a responsibility to proclaim the words of Scripture as living and effective.  They know that they have a role to play in making the Mass an opportunity to feel closer to God.  All this is true because they know that God’s presence can be found in his word.

Fall and Winter are followed by Spring.  Prompted by the Holy Spirit, people still have a desire to believe.   You’ll find that good news in the Scriptures.

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First Reading  -  Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
The Lessons of Life

The Book of Sirach, also known as the Wisdom of Ben Sira, tells you up front its basic premise.  In chapter 1, verse 14, he writes, “The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord.”  This connection with “fear of the Lord” continues with, “The fullness of wisdom is. . .  The crown of wisdom is. . .  The root of wisdom is. . .”

Ben Sira was a sage who lived in Jerusalem and taught a series of lessons dealing with subjects like friendship, education, poverty and wealth, and religious worship.  Just as in today’s first reading from chapter 35, there is practical advice found throughout the 51 chapters of his book.  Ben Sira also puts his own slant on Jewish history with a brief historical overview including the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. 

Perhaps all this might sound somewhat boring and pedantic.  The kind of thing you hear in a classroom.  But today’s reading shows there is a heart and a soul to be found here.  There is also a deep feeling of trust in the justice of God and in his desire for the well-being of his creatures. 

In the epilogue of his book, Ben Sira provides added incentive for paying attention when he says, “Happy those who meditate upon these things; wise those who take them to heart!” (50:28).

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Second Reading  -  2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Going Home

An inspirational story is coming to an end.  And you begin to feel a little choked up.  You will miss the person soon to be taken up into heaven.  He was larger than life and made every minute of his life count.

Paul says so himself: “I have competed well, I have finished the race . . .”  But most importantly, “I have kept the faith.”

We desperately need people of genuine courage and commitment.   Paul’s mission was never easy.  There were always hardships, disappointments, and even betrayals.  There were thousands of miles to travel, and thousands of people who needed to hear the good news.

You wish Paul did not have to leave.  He gave you strength.  But you also know he is leaving you a job to do.  In a bittersweet way you are glad that God will bring him “safe to his heavenly kingdom.”

Paul’s last words serve as a testament to his faith and as a legacy for us: “To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

© George Fournier 2013

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, October 20, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Last week, we suggested that the decision to become a lector must be accompanied by a thoughtful commitment to serve.  This week, we invite you to think about what your own personal commitment to the ministry looks like.

At a minimum, it means getting to church on time and wearing the appropriate attire for standing at the ambo.  These two things are found in just about every set of lector guidelines.

With this as a baseline, there are many other ways that lectors can make a commitment to their ministry.  A short list includes:

-   Practicing public speaking skills

-   Researching the context and intended message of assigned readings

-   Meditating on the Scriptures in order to hear how God is speaking to our hearts

-   Asking God to strengthen our belief that he continues to reveal himself in the proclamation of his Word

-   Asking God to strengthen our belief that the Scriptures speak directly to the realities of our lives

-   Asking God to help us better understand our role as “Scripture people of the parish” charged with the responsibility to serve our fellow parishioners

-   Praying for a loving heart to truly care about the people with whom we worship at Mass

When a ministry has real depth and importance, the commitment to that ministry can take many different forms.  What all of these forms have in common, however, is a commitment to spending enough time to do it well.

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First Reading  -  Exodus 17:8-13
Moses and His Staff

Today’s first reading presents us with two job descriptions.  Joshua is the general in charge of the army.  Moses is the mediator between God and the Jewish people.  In this comparison, Moses clearly has the higher rank.

As a sign of the authority God placed in Moses’ hands, his staff figures prominently in demonstrations of power.  It is his staff that Moses used to strike the Red Sea, allowing his people to escape from Egypt through the parted water.  It is the same staff he used to strike the rock, producing enough water to quench the thirst of thousands of people.  In today’s story, Moses and his staff are again the center of attention, this time protecting the Jewish people from their hated enemy, the Amaleks. 

When Moses holds his staff high in a posture of prayer, God shows his support for Moses’ leadership, and the Jews have the better of the fight against the Amaleks.  As the story makes clear, however, without Moses mediating between God and his people, Joshua and his soldiers can do nothing.  They immediately start losing the battle as soon as Moses rests his hands.

Only indirectly is this story about armies and battles.  You will find no descriptions of military strategy or bravery in combat.  It is a story about prayer and the need to trust in prayer, for all our needs.

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Second Reading  -  2 Timothy 3:14, - 4:2
A Sense of Urgency

Paul is speaking to his friend and disciple Timothy when he says, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. . .  proclaim the word.”  Timothy has the job of administering the church at Ephesus and protecting the faith.   However, lectors are equally justified in hearing Paul speak directly to them.

In this week’s Reflection on Lectoring (see above), we described many of the ways in which lectors can commit to their ministry.  The reason for making that commitment is succinctly stated in Paul’s words to Timothy: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

For Timothy, the Scriptures are an important asset.  In Timothy’s church, facing serious and pressing problems and disturbed by false teaching, the word of God can offer wisdom, guidance, and encouragement.

There is a sense of urgency in this reading.  Paul knows his time on earth is limited.  He knows that those who come after him will need to assume the full burden of keeping the flame of faith alive.  It is the same mission assumed by each new generation over the course of two thousand years.  It is the same mission, supported by the Scriptures, assumed by every lector today.

© George Fournier 2013

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 13, 2013

Reflection on Lectoring

Here are some thoughts about choice and commitment.

When choosing to be a proclaimer of the Word, lectors rely on their understanding of the ministry, their knowledge of their gifts and talents, and their belief that God wants them to do it.  Lectors need all these things to make a genuine commitment.

Part of that commitment involves a promise to show up on time accompanied by an effort to speak clearly.  But it includes much more.

In her book Listening to God’s Word, Alice Camille writes,

“We need the Bible.  We need it not just as a record of salvation history but for the sake of what we might call salvation present.  A living, breathing word has a dynamic relationship with each new generation.”

Lectors need the Bible.  So do the people who hear them read from the Bible. 

Several months ago, we suggested that lectors might be thought of as the “Scripture people of the parish.”  It is natural for people listening to any kind of presentation to expect the speaker to know something about the subject he or she is presenting.  That expectation involves more than just factual knowledge.  It also includes conviction, enthusiasm, and an internal belief that the subject is important - personally important to the speaker and to his or her hearers.

Choice and commitment must be renewed every day.  A lector’s relationship with the Scriptures is not a casual thing.  It is a life-giving thing.  It is a relationship that makes each proclamation special.

People need the Bible.  They also need committed ministers of the Word to share it with them. 

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First Reading  -  2 Kings 5:14-17
Good and Bad, Side by Side

Here is the whole story behind this weekend’s first reading.

Naaman, the army commander of Ben-Hadad II, the pagan king of Aram, had a bad skin condition.   However a little girl who was snatched by the Arameans during a raid on Israel tells Naaman’s wife that there is a prophet back home who can help.

The wife tells Naaman about the prophet (Elisha).  Naaman then asks his king to write a letter to King Joram, the king of Israel, asking for help with a cure.  One naturally wonders why King Joram would want to help someone who raids his country.  Not surprisingly, he does not, and suspects a plot to justify a war.

However, Elisha calms King Joram down, and Naaman is allowed to come to Israel for his cure.  But Naaman is not happy.  Instead of being treated directly by Elisha, he is told by Elisha’s messenger to bathe in the Jordan.  Naaman storms out complaining that there are perfectly good rivers back home where he lives.

After some cajoling by his servants, Naaman relents, plunges into the Jordan seven times, and is cured.  Overjoyed, he offers Elisha lots of money and 10 festal garments.  Elisha declines, but is rewarded by hearing that Naaman now believes in the Lord of Israel.

Unfortunately, the story ends on a sour note.   Elisha’s servant Gehazi makes up a phony story and gets Naaman to give him some of the money.  You are invited to find out for yourself what happens to Gehazi as a result.   

The verses from today’s reading emphasize the good that comes from faith and humility.  Perhaps the whole story makes the good parts even more memorable.

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Second Reading  -  2 Timothy 2:8-13
Unchained

You have to marvel sometimes.  Who ever had as much perseverance as Paul?  Who besides Jesus was more reviled, beaten and betrayed?  Paul travelled more distance than Jesus.  Visited more people in more places.  And sat in more jails.

Even with his own mortality staring him in the face, “the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim 4:6) . . .    even when bound by chains, “I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal” (2 Tim 2:9) Paul continues to preach about the risen Lord.

His angry outbursts, “O stupid Galatians!  Who has bewitched you. . . . ?” (Gal 3:1) let you know that Paul was very human.  But you marvel at how he can still go beyond himself and think about the needs of others, even when he might easily be more preoccupied with his own problems, “Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen” (2 Tim 2:10).

In today’s second reading Paul even uses his chains to give Timothy and his readers encouragement, “But the word of God is not chained.”

In last week’s look at the Second Letter to Timothy, we suggested that lectors should read all four chapters of the letter.  Perhaps, the better you understand the person who wrote the letter, the better your hearers at Mass will understand what he was trying to say.

© George Fournier 2013