August 5, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
Identity and belonging are big things for St. Paul. You can see these ideas expressed throughout
his letters.
Paul’s freshly-minted communities of believers were like outposts in a pagan world. Their strength and, perhaps even their survival, depended on their members having a sense of unity and mutual dependence. How easy it would have been for these communities to evaporate if their members lost interest.
Of course, the Holy Spirit, the apostles, and a host of spirit-filled people in each community did not let that happen. The same remains true today. We still need the Holy Spirit and spirit-filled people to keep our parish communities flourishing.
Do lectors who proclaim the story of the struggles and triumphs of the early church have a role to play in keeping the spirit alive? What responsibility to the health of their parish communities do lectors have? Should lectors think beyond the one or two minutes each month they proclaim the Scriptures at Mass?
Lectoring is more than just a job requiring a certain skill set and the ability to be on time for an assignment. It involves the insight to see the bigger picture. It includes the ability to recognize the Old Testament roots of our Christian faith and its continued development in the New Testament. Effective lectoring also involves an appreciation of faith at work, and a shared sense of belonging to the community we call our parish.
Fortunately, the more a lector reads the Scriptures, the stronger becomes his or her understanding of how faith and community are interwoven.
Paul’s freshly-minted communities of believers were like outposts in a pagan world. Their strength and, perhaps even their survival, depended on their members having a sense of unity and mutual dependence. How easy it would have been for these communities to evaporate if their members lost interest.
Of course, the Holy Spirit, the apostles, and a host of spirit-filled people in each community did not let that happen. The same remains true today. We still need the Holy Spirit and spirit-filled people to keep our parish communities flourishing.
Do lectors who proclaim the story of the struggles and triumphs of the early church have a role to play in keeping the spirit alive? What responsibility to the health of their parish communities do lectors have? Should lectors think beyond the one or two minutes each month they proclaim the Scriptures at Mass?
Lectoring is more than just a job requiring a certain skill set and the ability to be on time for an assignment. It involves the insight to see the bigger picture. It includes the ability to recognize the Old Testament roots of our Christian faith and its continued development in the New Testament. Effective lectoring also involves an appreciation of faith at work, and a shared sense of belonging to the community we call our parish.
Fortunately, the more a lector reads the Scriptures, the stronger becomes his or her understanding of how faith and community are interwoven.
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"And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
- Acts 14:27
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First Reading - Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Thousands of Hungry People
- Acts 14:27
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First Reading - Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Thousands of Hungry People
The Sinai is not a place that can easily sustain large
populations. It is a barren place of
intense brightness, mostly arid landscapes, and the constant noise of wind
whining through the mountains.
Sinai’s current population is sixty thousand. But a quick check of the Book of Exodus (12:37) indicates that six hundred thousand men, not including women and children, fled from Egypt. Even if the Hebrew word elep found in Exodus is interpreted as “clans” instead of” thousand,” there would still have been a large number of people making their way in the dessert.
Today’s first reading challenges us to find the line between dependency and self-sufficiency - total dependency on God and the appropriate impulse to be responsible for the welfare of our family. Given the odds against them, it is little wonder that the Israelites felt very dependent. It is also little wonder that they felt really scared when the food and water ran out. It was not too likely that Pharaoh would treat them well if they decided to return to Egypt. So what do you do?
You complain to Moses who talks to God.
There are people who will hear your words at Mass who are struggling with significant burdens. There are people who are struggling to care for their families. And there are people who are struggling to develop a greater trust in God. The story of Sinai is more than just an interesting story about struggle and hardship. It can be source of reassurance that God will not abandon us when things look bleak. How well this story does that depends in large measure in how well you tell it.
Sinai’s current population is sixty thousand. But a quick check of the Book of Exodus (12:37) indicates that six hundred thousand men, not including women and children, fled from Egypt. Even if the Hebrew word elep found in Exodus is interpreted as “clans” instead of” thousand,” there would still have been a large number of people making their way in the dessert.
Today’s first reading challenges us to find the line between dependency and self-sufficiency - total dependency on God and the appropriate impulse to be responsible for the welfare of our family. Given the odds against them, it is little wonder that the Israelites felt very dependent. It is also little wonder that they felt really scared when the food and water ran out. It was not too likely that Pharaoh would treat them well if they decided to return to Egypt. So what do you do?
You complain to Moses who talks to God.
There are people who will hear your words at Mass who are struggling with significant burdens. There are people who are struggling to care for their families. And there are people who are struggling to develop a greater trust in God. The story of Sinai is more than just an interesting story about struggle and hardship. It can be source of reassurance that God will not abandon us when things look bleak. How well this story does that depends in large measure in how well you tell it.
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Second Reading - Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Free to Join
Free to Join
In last week’s second reading from Ephesians, Paul talked
about the kind of unity and community identity that is not exclusive. Christ came to save everyone, not just a limited
number of “chosen” people. In today’s
reading from Ephesians, he lets us know that the invitation to become a member
of Christ’s body is open to everyone. However,
it is an invitation that presupposes each person’s freedom to choose.
Through Baptism, the early Christians were freely initiated into the new community of believers. However, becoming a follower of Jesus also required a commitment to “put away the old self of your former way of life . . . and put on the new self.” Membership in the body of Christ was freely offered to new converts, but demanded a positive affirmation in return.
The people who hear your proclamation at Mass this weekend, have also made a free choice. They have chosen to join together in worship. They have chosen to deepen their sense of belonging to Christ and each other.
This reading serves as a reminder of what membership in Christ’s body requires. It also serves to help us recognize more clearly that we are a “new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
Through Baptism, the early Christians were freely initiated into the new community of believers. However, becoming a follower of Jesus also required a commitment to “put away the old self of your former way of life . . . and put on the new self.” Membership in the body of Christ was freely offered to new converts, but demanded a positive affirmation in return.
The people who hear your proclamation at Mass this weekend, have also made a free choice. They have chosen to join together in worship. They have chosen to deepen their sense of belonging to Christ and each other.
This reading serves as a reminder of what membership in Christ’s body requires. It also serves to help us recognize more clearly that we are a “new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
© 2012 George Fournier
