March 9, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
“The Christian faithful who come together as one in expectation
of the Lord’s coming are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together
Psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles.”
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal
At Mass the entire assembly is encouraged to participate
fully in the singing of hymns and psalms.
Singing is a communal act of worship in which all should actively
participate.
You may ask yourself how this relates to the proclamation
of the Word. Can the assembly actively
participate in some fashion? Or should
their most appropriate response be characterized as “attentive listening” so as
not to miss anything that is being said to them?
In last week’s Reflection on Lectoring we suggested that
lectors do more than just speak clearly in a manner that facilitates attentive listening. Rather, lectors work hard to eliminate the
distance between them and their hearers.
They offer an invitation to gather in a shared space to fully experience
the wonder of God speaking directly to them.
Lectors invite the assembly to engage their hearts and minds in a joint
act of worship.
Lectors come from the assembly when they approach the
ambo, but they never leave the assembly behind. The ambo is a place from which to reverence the
Scriptures. Not a place to separate the
lector from the assembly.
For lectors there is a difference between providing a
service and performing a ministry. A
service can be something requiring no interpersonal connection between the
service provider and the service recipient.
______________________________
First Reading - Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
O Happy Fault
O felix culpa - O happy fault. These words are taken from the Exsultet sung
during the Easter Vigil. It was the sin
of Adam that necessitated the birth of a savior who would restore the
possibility of salvation to our fallen nature.
It is possible to see in today’s first reading nothing
more than a story of tragic loss. Had Adam
and Eve not sinned, they would have continued to live in a state of idyllic
bliss. And, after a period of time on
earth, they would then move on to heaven.
While this state of affairs may seem highly desirable, it
also seems somewhat fanciful. A life
without struggle is beyond any narrative that any human being has ever
experienced. And that includes Jesus.
One phrase toward the end of the first reading is
especially significant when reflecting on our human condition: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened.” Evil had become for Adam and Eve, and for all
of us, a reality that people living in Eden could not understand.
______________________________
Second Reading - Romans 5:12-19
No Comparison
For a summary statement of today’s second reading from
Romans, you might read the verse that immediately follows the reading. In part it says, “but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.”
In today’s first reading we reflected on the Fall - an
event sometimes referred to as the “happy fault,” the fault that necessitated
the Incarnation and the sacrifice of the cross.
Today’s second reading goes one step further, stressing
that Jesus did more than just balance the scales. He did more than just make up for Adam’s
sin. “The
gift is not like the transgression.”
“And the gift is not like the
result of the one who sinned.”
The season of Lent follows an inevitable trajectory to
the cross. During the course of six
weeks we are reminded of our culpability in the tragedy. We acknowledge our rejection of our savior.
© George Fournier, 2014
