Monday, November 17, 2014

Our Lord Jesus Christ,
King of the Universe
November 23, 2014

Dear Readers

This is the final Reflection on Lectoring

For the past three years, God has given me the privilege of writing weekly reflections on the Scriptures and on the ministry of those who proclaim them.  For that I am deeply grateful. I am also grateful to all of you who have allowed me to share these reflections with you.

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned along the way involves two important aspects of effective lectoring:

First, we can’t do it alone. The Holy Spirit is our most important guide.  He is our advocate, our supporter, the one who makes each proclamation of the Scriptures genuine.

The second is like the first:  we can’t do it alone.  A connection in love with our fellow worshipers at Mass is the one thing that makes real sharing possible.  When the people in the assembly sense you love them, they know that the words you speak are genuine.

For effective lectoring there is no need for extraordinary public speaking skills.  There is only the need for extraordinary love.

Thank you for the past three years.

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First Reading  -  Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
A King Who Cares


Today’s first reading is a ringing rejection of the idea that God is a hands-off God, an impersonal God who set the world in motion, but now remains aloof as history and events unfold. 

Chapter 34 of Ezekiel portrays God at his most forceful.  It starts with God vehemently condemning the venal rulers of Judah.  He is furious that his chosen people - the people whom he loves - have been abandoned, victimized and scattered by their evil rulers.  If the rulers of Judah can’t or won’t serve as responsible shepherds, he will. 

God refers to himself with the word “I” eleven times in our reading and thirty-two times throughout the chapter.  He both punishes evil and is deeply moved by the needs of his flock.  He is not at all indifferent to what his people are experiencing.  Neither is he a passive God, but a personally involved God.

Today’s Gospel reinforces the image of a God who is directly involved in the everyday concerns of people’s lives.  He is concerned for those who are hungry and thirsty, for those who are naked, and for those who are lonely.


In Old Testament times, pagan Gods were capricious, self-absorbed, and had to be placated.  Our God and King is different.  As he says in our first reading, “As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep.”

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First Reading  -  1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
A King Who Cares, Part Two

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Today’s second reading takes God’s caring for us to the highest level.  Not only does he care about what we shall eat or drink, or where we shall live, or who will attend to us when we are sick.  Most importantly, he cares about our eternal life.

St. Augustine once wrote, “Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.”  Food and clothing and a place to sleep are important.  But only in the presence of God will we find true fulfillment and joy. 

Our God cares about the full spectrum of our needs.  He also understands what we need most.  He understands, better than anyone, the purpose for which he made us.

There is great comfort in knowing that God knows us even better than we know ourselves.  He loves us even more than we love ourselves.  He is with us every step of the way.  He is waiting to welcome us home.

© George Fournier, 2014