August 12, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
How long do you keep the written material you receive in the mail?
Some of it, especially invitations to buy things, might be discarded even before it is opened. A letter or card from someone you know (a friend, a family member, the IRS) is more likely to be opened and kept for a few days, depending on the circumstances.
Then there are letters, like love letters, that are opened and kept for long periods of time, especially if the reader becomes the eventual spouse of the sender.
Then there are letters that are kept forever.
The letters attributed to writers like Paul, Peter and John had been read and reread for centuries, even before they were officially declared as part of the New Testament canon by the Third Council of Carthage in 397 and 419. These letters had real staying power. They still do today.
In the early days, letters helped Christians understand their faith and their identity as members of a faith community. These letters continue to fulfill the same purpose today. At Mass, they are a public proclamation of our faith and our unity as members of the body of Christ. Making these proclamations of faith and unity is at the heart of what every lector does.
________________________
"You
are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all."
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First Reading - 1 Kings 19:4-18
God Knows Best
In last week’s first reading, the Israelites grumbled in the Sinai that they did not have enough food to eat. This week, the Prophet Elijah just gives up. “This is enough, O Lord, take my life.” The Israelites ask for food. Elijah asks to die.
If there was ever proof that God decides which of our requests are good for us, these two readings make it clear that God knows best.
Elijah’s despair is easy to understand. His adversary, Ahab was clearly the worst of a really bad batch of kings in Israel. So bad in fact that he built a temple for Baal in his capitol. His wife Jezebel was just as bad. She wanted to kill Elijah.
At first, things went well for Elijah. He outdoes (with considerable bravado) 450 of Ahab’s false prophets on Mount Carmel in his sacrificial offering to God (1 Kings 18:21-40). Even though opposed by Jezebel’s additional 400 false prophets of Asherah (18:19) Elijah is triumphant. In the process, he demonstrates that the God of Abraham is the only true God. The people agree. Unfortunately, Jezebel does not, and Elijah is rewarded with a death threat.
Fleeing to the desert, Elijah despairs. The land is evil. The king is evil. All the real prophets have already been killed by Jezebel or driven underground. Elijah is all that is left. The burden is too great for one person. But God knows best.
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Second Reading - Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
A Credible Witness
God Knows Best
In last week’s first reading, the Israelites grumbled in the Sinai that they did not have enough food to eat. This week, the Prophet Elijah just gives up. “This is enough, O Lord, take my life.” The Israelites ask for food. Elijah asks to die.
If there was ever proof that God decides which of our requests are good for us, these two readings make it clear that God knows best.
Elijah’s despair is easy to understand. His adversary, Ahab was clearly the worst of a really bad batch of kings in Israel. So bad in fact that he built a temple for Baal in his capitol. His wife Jezebel was just as bad. She wanted to kill Elijah.
At first, things went well for Elijah. He outdoes (with considerable bravado) 450 of Ahab’s false prophets on Mount Carmel in his sacrificial offering to God (1 Kings 18:21-40). Even though opposed by Jezebel’s additional 400 false prophets of Asherah (18:19) Elijah is triumphant. In the process, he demonstrates that the God of Abraham is the only true God. The people agree. Unfortunately, Jezebel does not, and Elijah is rewarded with a death threat.
Fleeing to the desert, Elijah despairs. The land is evil. The king is evil. All the real prophets have already been killed by Jezebel or driven underground. Elijah is all that is left. The burden is too great for one person. But God knows best.
___________________________
Second Reading - Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
A Credible Witness
One of the central themes of Ephesians is
reconciliation. Our salvation, achieved
by Christ’s sacrifice, has removed the barrier between God and his people. Barriers between people have also been removed
because no one is excluded from salvation and membership in Christ’s mystical body.
The opposite of reconciliation is “bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling.” If this is what you get when you become a member of Christ’s body, you might think twice before joining.
For Paul, the church stands as a witness to all of humanity - a living sign of what reconciliation is all about. In both the local parish and the worldwide church, disagreements are still likely to happen. But shouting and reviling build up barriers, and subvert the Gospel message. The result is that reconciliation takes a step backward.
The opposite of reconciliation is “bitterness, fury, anger, shouting and reviling.” If this is what you get when you become a member of Christ’s body, you might think twice before joining.
For Paul, the church stands as a witness to all of humanity - a living sign of what reconciliation is all about. In both the local parish and the worldwide church, disagreements are still likely to happen. But shouting and reviling build up barriers, and subvert the Gospel message. The result is that reconciliation takes a step backward.
Being “imitators of God, and beloved children”
who “live in love” works on every
level - in families, in parishes, in churches with millions of members. Shouting and reviling work nowhere.
© 2012 George Fournier
© 2012 George Fournier
