September 16, 2012
Reflection on Lectoring
Are the Scriptures divinely inspired? The Second Vatican Council had this to say: “The books of Scripture must be acknowledged
as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error that truth which God wanted
put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation” (Dei Verbum 3.11).
Dei Verbum (Word of God) also acknowledged that the human authors of the Scriptures had a role to play in their creation. These authors wrote from their own historical and cultural perspectives. And they wrote for specific purposes with specific hearers/readers in mind.
What God knew, and what these human authors did not, was that their words would continue to reveal God’s truth for many centuries to people living in vastly different times and places.
Last week, we suggested that God has a reason for choosing different people to serve as lectors. It is a reason that goes beyond a lector’s ability to speak clearly or pronounce words correctly. God chooses individual lectors to be his genuine and faith-affirming witnesses to people with whom they share many of contemporary life’s experiences.
Lectors are people of all different backgrounds and perspectives, speaking to people of all different backgrounds and perspectives. They bring to their proclamation different life experiences and different experiences of faith and Christian identity. They mirror the depth and richness of the Scriptures - the kind of depth and richness that can never be exhausted, never become dated, and will always serve as a source of spiritual meaning for people of all ages.
God chose you to be a lector because of who you are, because of the way you find meaning in his words, and because you want others to find that meaning for themselves.
Dei Verbum (Word of God) also acknowledged that the human authors of the Scriptures had a role to play in their creation. These authors wrote from their own historical and cultural perspectives. And they wrote for specific purposes with specific hearers/readers in mind.
What God knew, and what these human authors did not, was that their words would continue to reveal God’s truth for many centuries to people living in vastly different times and places.
Last week, we suggested that God has a reason for choosing different people to serve as lectors. It is a reason that goes beyond a lector’s ability to speak clearly or pronounce words correctly. God chooses individual lectors to be his genuine and faith-affirming witnesses to people with whom they share many of contemporary life’s experiences.
Lectors are people of all different backgrounds and perspectives, speaking to people of all different backgrounds and perspectives. They bring to their proclamation different life experiences and different experiences of faith and Christian identity. They mirror the depth and richness of the Scriptures - the kind of depth and richness that can never be exhausted, never become dated, and will always serve as a source of spiritual meaning for people of all ages.
God chose you to be a lector because of who you are, because of the way you find meaning in his words, and because you want others to find that meaning for themselves.
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"God graciously arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety, throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations."
- Dei Verbum 2.7
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First Reading - Isaiah 50:4c-9a
God and Me
- Dei Verbum 2.7
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First Reading - Isaiah 50:4c-9a
God and Me
Today’s first reading uses some of the same verses from
Isaiah that are used in this year’s first reading for Palm Sunday. The part about having “a well-trained tongue” is omitted from the beginning of the passage, and
Isaiah closes with a challenge to his adversaries by asking, “who will prove me wrong?”
In this brief passage, Isaiah is not shy about talking about himself and his difficulties. The first person pronouns: I, me, or my, prove the point by appearing a remarkable twenty-one times.
Under normal circumstances, talking so much about oneself might become a little tiresome to an audience. Sometimes, however, the opposite happens. When a speaker, in this case Isaiah, talks sincerely from the heart about a matter deeply felt, people naturally want to hear how the story ends.
Also, when a speaker demonstrates real humility, people recognize that self promotion is not the goal. In this case, Isaiah clearly acknowledges that, “The Lord God is my help.”
In this passage, Isaiah demonstrates the qualities of a Suffering Servant - the same qualities demonstrated in the highest degree by Christ in today’s Gospel reading, a reading which states that the Son of Man will ”suffer greatly. . . be rejected . . . killed, and rise after three days."
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In this brief passage, Isaiah is not shy about talking about himself and his difficulties. The first person pronouns: I, me, or my, prove the point by appearing a remarkable twenty-one times.
Under normal circumstances, talking so much about oneself might become a little tiresome to an audience. Sometimes, however, the opposite happens. When a speaker, in this case Isaiah, talks sincerely from the heart about a matter deeply felt, people naturally want to hear how the story ends.
Also, when a speaker demonstrates real humility, people recognize that self promotion is not the goal. In this case, Isaiah clearly acknowledges that, “The Lord God is my help.”
In this passage, Isaiah demonstrates the qualities of a Suffering Servant - the same qualities demonstrated in the highest degree by Christ in today’s Gospel reading, a reading which states that the Son of Man will ”suffer greatly. . . be rejected . . . killed, and rise after three days."
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Second Reading - James 2:14-18
Faith and Social Consciousness
Faith and Social Consciousness
Some people are not afraid to tell it like it is. Jesus once said “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven” (Matthew 7:21). James is
equally direct when he says, “So also
faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Despite concerns from Protestant reformers like Martin Luther that James emphasizes good works over faith, James is more accurately encouraging people who already believe in the Messiah to translate that belief into practice.
As we also saw in last week’s reading from James, this is a letter with a social conscience. Being concerned for the needs of others is a genuine response to having faith in Christ. It is also a clear demonstration that real faith is more than just empty words like, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well.”
In just a few short verses, James clearly states the case that there is a direct link between faith in God and caring for God’s children. And part of effectively making that case lies in how well the lector proclaims these verses.
© 2012 George Fournier
Despite concerns from Protestant reformers like Martin Luther that James emphasizes good works over faith, James is more accurately encouraging people who already believe in the Messiah to translate that belief into practice.
As we also saw in last week’s reading from James, this is a letter with a social conscience. Being concerned for the needs of others is a genuine response to having faith in Christ. It is also a clear demonstration that real faith is more than just empty words like, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well.”
In just a few short verses, James clearly states the case that there is a direct link between faith in God and caring for God’s children. And part of effectively making that case lies in how well the lector proclaims these verses.
© 2012 George Fournier
