The Ascension of the Lord
June 1, 2017

Reflection on Lectoring

Lectors are both proclaimers and witnesses of the Word.

Lectoring is a calling that involves proclaiming the Scriptures with fidelity and understanding.  It is a ministry that relies on both prayer and preparation.  It is also an act of sharing with the assembly that goes well beyond just presenting the facts.

A witness to the Word of Life is someone who has personally encountered the message.  Before lectors can share the Scriptures with their hearers at Mass, they must first have something to share.  They must have a personal reverence for the Scriptures and a belief in their importance in their lives.

At the beginning of the First Letter of John there is a wonderful description of the two-fold nature of witnessing, involving a personal encounter and a sharing with others.  The passage also suggests one result of this sharing - a fellowship with those who hear the words and with God.  Below are the first three verses of chapter one.

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of Life.  For the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us.  What we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Witnessing to the message of the Scriptures involves a very real encounter with the words and with the author of the words.  It also involves an encounter with those who hear you speak those words.  What you “have seen and heard,” you also proclaim and witness to your brothers and sisters every time you serve as lector.

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First Reading  -  Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11
Witnesses to the World

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In this week’s Reflection on Lectoring, we suggested that the lector is, in every sense, a witness to salvation history.  In today’s first reading, Jesus is speaking to his first team of witnesses.  He tells his apostles that the Holy Spirit will give them the power to witness to the whole world.

How should the people in the assembly hear the words, “you will be my witnesses”?  Should they think that Jesus was speaking to only a few good men who lived long ago?  Should they think that there is only a limited supply of the power of the Holy Spirit?  Or will they hear in those words a personal call to be God’s witnesses also?

Perhaps how they hear those words will depend a lot on how you proclaim them.  A lot will depend on whom you think Jesus is calling.

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Second Reading  -  Ephesians 1:17-23 
A Fervent Prayer

If you want to feel joyful, hopeful and proud, this is the perfect reading.  In today’s second reading St. Paul is praying for you that “the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”

He also prays that you will know the “hope that belongs to his call,” “the riches of glory in his inheritance,” and “the surpassing greatness of his power.”  It is not every day that someone prays that you receive all these things.

While reading St. Paul’s prayer, you get the impression he is pretty sure God will give us all these extraordinary gifts, if only we believe.  That is why he placed his Son as head of the church, which is his body, which includes all of us.  Perhaps, as you proclaim these words at Mass, it might be appropriate to show a similar kind of confidence.  Your hearers are your fellow worshipers, and you want the best for them.

Perhaps also, St. Paul’s prayer might be a prayer that everyone in the assembly can pray for each other.  A lot depends on how fervently you lead the prayer.

© George Fournier 2014

Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 25, 2014

Reflection on Lectoring

“In wonder is wisdom born.”

                                                            Death on a Friday Afternoon

                                                            Rev. Richard John Neuhaus

When reflecting on the death of Jesus in his book Death on a Friday Afternoon, Father Neuhaus reminds us of the great mystery that Jesus was both God and man.  When we contemplate mysteries like the Incarnation, our “wonder” about such events often has two distinct aspects.

In one sense, we wonder why.  Why did God the Father send his only Son to live and die for our sins?  Surely he could have achieved our redemption in some gentler manner.  Whenever we wonder “why” or ask questions, we create the possibility for greater personal wisdom.

In a second sense, the word “wonder” conveys the feeling of awe we experience whenever we receive a glimpse of the infinite grandeur and transcendence of God.  We find ourselves in awe of all that our God has wrought.

As lectors, wonder and awe should always be our response to God’s words in the Scriptures - all of his words in all of the Scriptures.  At times, however, we might encounter words that seem to describe less than awe-inspiring events or obscure details from the past with limited relevance for today.

We might also find frustration in hard-to-understand concepts expressed in overly long sentences.   When translated into English, some of the writings of St. Paul offer especially good examples of poor sentence structure. We might even find support for our difficulties with St. Paul in 2 Peter 3:16 where it says of his letters, “In them there are some things hard to understand.”

However, a commitment to the ministry of lector requires awe and reverence for all the Scriptures.  It requires the gift for discerning significance in what may,on the surface, appear to be the most insignificant of verses.

It is this ability to find deep meaning in small things that the prophet Elijah discovered after walking forty days and forty nights.  At first, he tried to hear God’s voice in a violent wind, then in an earthquake, then in fire.  It was only when he heard “the sound of a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12), that he hid his face and acknowledged the presence of God in something small and quiet. 

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First Reading  -  Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17
Fireworks in Samaria

Today’s first reading is not at all lacking in awe and wonder.  And, as we see, Philip, who found it necessary to get out of Jerusalem quickly, does not appear to be speaking in a gentle whisper.  Rather the people in Samaria “paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.”

The excitement in Samaria was heard all the way back in Jerusalem, causing the apostles to send Peter and John on a fact-finding mission.  When they got there, things got even more energized for the Samarians when the apostles “laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

How should a lector proclaim this kind of story?  Was all this excitement simply the reaction you would expect from simple people from 2,000 years ago?  Would too much enthusiasm not go over well with the more sophisticated people of today?  Should the line “great joy in that city” be toned down to sound more like “a lot of people were very happy”?

It is possible to read this Scripture passage as a brief report on an event that took place 2,000 years ago.  It is also possible to proclaim this passage as the movement of the Holy Spirit that continues to this day.

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Second Reading  -  1 Peter 3:15-18

A Persuasive Presence

Today’s second reading recommends that we should, “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.”  Perhaps, however, we should first be ready to give ourselves a reason for hope before we expect to give it to others.

You can’t give to others what you don’t have yourself.

There are many books on apologetics, some of which can sound defensive and argumentative.  If only others would accept the apparent logic and good sense of our position the world would be a better place.  God would be glorified.  Or would he?

Perhaps the best “explanation” of why we hope starts with us.  Perhaps when we are simply being present to others and love them, we speak most eloquently.  Perhaps “gentleness and reverence” achieve more good results than confrontation and debate.

Perhaps also the way in which the lector proclaims the second reading will serve as the best method for getting the point across.

© George Fournier, 2014

Fifth Sunday in Easter
May 18, 2014

Reflection on Lectoring

In a recent Reflection on Lectoring we talked about the Good Thief receiving Jesus’ promise that “today you will be with me in Paradise.”  How easy it is to hear this familiar story without delving very deeply into all that happened.  Having heard the customary commentaries on the dialogue between Jesus and the thief, there might seem to be no real need to give it additional thought. 

However, the job of the lector requires more than simple repetition. Every story in the Bible, including the Crucifixion, deserves a fresh examination every time it is proclaimed - just as if it were being told for the first time.

For instance, consider how easy it is to surmise that the Good Thief, knowing his time was short, simply decided that heaven was his best option.  In St. Luke’s account of the Crucifixion the thief says, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  But perhaps we should give some thought to what the thief saw and experienced as he hung on the cross.  From all appearances, Jesus does not seem to be in a position to help anyone.  What kind of kingdom was the thief hoping to get?  Was his telling the other thief to stop verbally abusing Jesus as an act of compassion for a fellow human being?

More questions surface when we check the Crucifixion accounts provided by Mathew and Mark.  In their Passion narratives, we find that neither of the two thieves asked for anything.  In fact, both of them insulted Jesus.   The story of the Good Thief provides a wonderful opportunity to meditate on why someone described as a “revolutionary” would be the first person to join Christ in heaven.

When we pray and meditate on the Scriptures our purpose is not to test the truth of what God has revealed.  Rather, meditation is meant to reveal the depth of meaning present in each chapter and verse.  If the Scriptures are to connect with the real lives of real people, simple answers offer only limited guidance or comfort. Very rarely do the challenges of real life allow for simple answers.  And the Scriptures are very much about real life.

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First Reading  -  Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7
A Question of Priorities

“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.”  These words spoken by the apostles come directly from today’s first reading.  How should we take this statement?

Perhaps it is perfectly logical that a division of labor was needed.  And spreading God’s word had the highest priority.

Or, perhaps the apostles would do better to remember how Jesus washed their feet at the Last Supper.  There should be no higher priority than loving others by serving their needs.

Perhaps spirit-filled preaching would bring a greater number of people into the new community than would a more equitable distribution of food.

Or, perhaps those who did not want to serve at table were simply looking for an excuse not to.

In this week’s Reflection on Lectoring we suggested that lectors have a responsibility to pray and meditate on each Scripture passage as if hearing it for the first time.  The early followers of Christ were real people confronting real challenges and complex questions.   Very much like the challenges and questions faced by those with whom you share this reading today.

Asking questions is an important way to achieve wisdom.  Trusting that God invites your questions is an important way to strengthen faith.

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Second Reading  -  1 Peter 2:4-9
Making Something out of Stones

Because we humans cannot fully comprehend the infinite goodness and transcendence of God, we come as close as we can by drawing analogies to what we do know.  We call God “living water,” “light of the world,” and in today’s second reading “a living stone.”

The second reading continues this analogy by suggesting that we too have become living stones.  Perhaps, based on the name given to him by Jesus, Peter is the ideal person to use the stone analogy and then apply it to us. “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).

We have all become partners with God in building a living church.   It is a continuous process.  It is a process that gives both purpose and identity.   The second reading closes with the words, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

This reading offers a challenge to the lector.  Your hearers at Mass are not accustomed to hearing themselves described as stones of any kind - except perhaps when they sit in church.  However, their identity as Christians must reach beyond the time they spend in church.

Presenting analogies as a doorway (analogy intended) to real understanding rather than as a passage of flowery poetry is a real challenge.  This weekend this challenge is being offered to you.

© George Fournier, 2014

Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 11, 2014

Reflection on Lectoring

In today’s first reading, Peter stands up in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of people whom he did not know.  In Jerusalem at the time there were large numbers of people from out of town milling about.  There were also some people in the crowd who had a role in condemning and killing Peter’s friend and teacher.

And yet, he still took the risk of telling people something he hoped they would hear.  He took a big chance.

Perhaps lectors are not asked to risk as much as Peter, but at Sunday Mass they still must look out at a large number of people, many of whom they do not know.  And in only two or three minutes, lectors must share with a sea of faces something they hope they will hear.

In their own way, lectors take a big risk.

One way to minimize the personal risk is to concentrate solely on the words and not on the people who hear the words.  If you get the words right, no one will think poorly of you.   By remaining separate, even though in plain sight at the ambo, lectors can be almost as anonymous as the unseen person in the last pew.

Or you can reach out with your arms to your brothers and sisters and say I am willing to be open and vulnerable.  I am willing to show how deeply I care about you and about what I am saying.  Even if I stumble on some of the words, I will not hide behind them.  I am here to serve you and not myself.

It is not easy, but when lectors become vulnerable to the people in the assembly they increase the chances that their hearers will hear.  They also increase the chances that no one will become an anonymous face in the crowd.

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First Reading  -  Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41
Real People

Because we have become so familiar with the story of Peter at Pentecost it is easy to assume that he could effortlessly tell the crowd, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” without any feelings of self doubt or fear.

We might also think that Peter, our first pope had total confidence in himself and in his qualifications to tell others what to do.  If this were so, he would be quite different from our current pope who asks, “Who am I to judge?”

Complete self confidence is a lot to expect of Peter, a man who denied Christ three times only a few weeks before.  What is clear, however, is his absolute determination not to let doubts or fear stop him, despite being twice arrested by the Sadducees, flogged, and later arrested by Herod.

At the end of the play Damien by Aldyth Morris, Father Damien is portrayed as a very real person who confronts his personal doubts by saying to God, “And I know that whatever I may have done for good or ill, I am still your priest.  I trust in your prodigious love.  You are the Christ.  And you are my God!”

Real people like Peter, or Saint Damien or any one of us, are very likely to have fears and self doubts.  Real people really need the Lord’s love to overcome their doubts and declare, “You are my God!”

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Second Reading  -  1 Peter 2:20b-25

If the lector is not careful, today’s second reading can sound like a statement that is strong on logic, but weak on acknowledging human doubts and weakness. In this reading Peter advises us to be patient with suffering, “because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.”

Suffering is the kind of mystery that allows for no easy answers.  There are none.  And a reading that lasts only two or three minutes will not fill in all the gaps in our understanding.

Perhaps this reading should be approached with a degree of humility.  Think about your own experiences with suffering, meditate on the reading, and reflect on how it answers your questions.

During a proclamation of only two or three minutes your hearers at Mass will have little time to connect this reading to their own suffering.  Perhaps instead we should simply acknowledge our mutual experiences of suffering and strive to believe that the Good Shepherd listens and understands.  Perhaps in this way we can turn a statement of logic into a statement of love.

© George Fournier, 2014