January 5, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
“The biblical word is like poetry which calls for a great
slowing down if someone is to appreciate it.”
This week we shall conclude our reflection on Father
Eugene LaVerdiere’s pamphlet titled, “The Art of Proclamation.” We’ll consider why an aspect of proclamation
that may seem of little importance is so essential. For Father LaVerdiere, silence is truly an
essential ingredient for every effective Scripture reading.
In the assembly at weekend Mass there may be hundreds of
people. They come with various
preoccupations demanding their attention.
They come with distractions that often arise from events occurring during
their week. These distractions are a
kind of background noise that can compete with a quiet hearing of the
Scriptures.
To help us understand the importance of quiet, LaVerdiere
reflects on the silence that preceded God’s creation of the universe by saying,
“Without the silence that precedes it, the command, “Let there be light,” would
not be distinguished from all the other sounds.” The light was even more brilliant because it
shone in the darkness and silence.
In a similar way, silence before the Scripture reading
sets the stage.
LaVerdiere takes this idea a step farther by saying, “Good
readers recognize the silence before, between and after the words and phrases,
and allow for it as the reading takes hold of their person and flows through it
to the listeners.”
Unlike a crowded restaurant where conversations between
people must be shouted and background noise fills the gaps, Mass is a place
where the conversation between God and his people fills the church.
LaVerdiere concluded his reflection on the value of
silence by saying, “This is extremely important in the case of the Scriptures,
where each work, each phrase, each image is important and must make its way
into the mind and heart of the listener.”
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First Reading - Isaiah 60:1-6
Breaking Through
There are times when the glory and reality of God break
through the plane of our earthly existence.
When God breaks through, people are filled with a new perspective that
goes beyond everyday experiences and conventional wisdom. That is what happens on Epiphany. That is also what the first reading describes.
In this week’s reflection on lectoring, we talked about
God’s light at creation filling the void of the universe. In this weekend’s first reading we hear about
another manifestation of his light, “The
glory of the Lord shines upon you.”
It is the kind of light that breaks through the “darkness that covers the earth.”
Without God, the earth would be a very dark place. However, because of his promise to remain
with us, people from Midian to Ephah to Florida can proclaim “the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah did not know about Jesus Christ, but his
message remains true. His words tells us
that whenever God manifests himself to us we “shall be radiant” at what we see, our “heart shall throb and overflow,” and over us will appear his
glory.
This weekend, lectors have the wonderful opportunity to describe
the glory of God as it breaks through
and enters our world.
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Second Reading - Ephsians 3:2-3a, 5-6
The Mystery Revealed
There was an important mystery hidden for centuries from
an entire people. From the time of
Abraham and Moses to the age of the prophets, the Jewish people did not know
the secret. However, in today’s second
reading Paul says it is his job to reveal the mystery - to Jews and Gentiles
alike.
He speaks quite plainly when he says the mystery “was not made known to people in other
generations as it has now been revealed . . .
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners
in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Salvation is for everyone. The Epiphany is for everyone. And since Christ came to reveal himself to
everyone, we his children must share that revelation throughout the world.
Today’s gospel talks
about three Gentiles receiving the message of a newborn king with joy. It also talks about King Herod who received
the same message with fear. With the joy
of the magi, lectors are called upon to proclaim fearlessly the “promise in Christ Jesus.”
© George Fournier 2014
