May 12th, 2013
In many provinces in the United States the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on the weekend of Sunday, May 12th.
There are two options for the second reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23. We have chosen Ephesians.
Reflection on Lectoring
There you are.
Standing alone at the ambo in front of a church full of people. You have prepared your reading. In your own unique way, you believe the truth
of the words you are about to proclaim.
You want to proclaim them with conviction.
In reality, you have prepared for your reading throughout
your entire life. You have thought about
your beliefs and how to apply those beliefs to the challenges of everyday life.
You have been on a lifelong journey where faith, hope and love are your most
reliable guideposts. The unique person you
have become is now in plain sight before your fellow worshipers.
One of life’s greatest comforts is the ability to say, “I
believe in something.” That belief is
one of the first things people see in you.
It is also what the assembly sees because they too want to believe in
something. And they know in their
hearts, as you do, that the ultimate source of genuine faith comes from God.
Faith requires both a personal relationship with God and
a communal sharing. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church says it this way: “Faith is a personal act - the
free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals
himself. But faith is not an isolated
act. No one can believe alone, just as
no one can live alone” (166).
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger said it even more succinctly
during his homily at the Mass of the Election of the Roman Pontiff in April,
2005: “We have received the faith to give it to others.”
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First Reading - Acts 1:1-11
Reason to Smile
If you try picturing the first reading in your mind, it might
make you smile.
For forty days, Jesus eats and drinks and talks with his
apostles. He is the same person who was,
beyond question, dead not long ago. In
simple language, Jesus gives his apostles some simple instructions like staying
in Jerusalem.
They respond with simple, naïve questions like, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore
the kingdom to Israel?” You would
think the crucifixion never happened.
But Jesus goes on to say something that still remains
true today for all Christians, “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.”
As you prepare this reading, you will hear God talking on
many levels and to many people simultaneously.
First, he is speaking to you.
You, as lector, are his faith-filled witness. Then, when you speak these words at Mass to
the assembly, your fellow worshipers are reminded that they also must be faith-filled
witnesses.
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Second Reading - Ephesians 1:17-23
For Us Who Believe
As with the first reading, this second reading gives us a
good reason to feel joyful. Paul prays
that even simple creatures like us will have “knowledge of him.”
Along with our receiving knowledge, wisdom and
revelation, Paul also prays that our hearts will be enlightened so that we
experience “the hope that belongs to his
call.” It is all part of the “inheritance” available to those who
have received the gift of faith, people like us - “for us who believe.”
In one set of verses, this reading offers both a majestic
prayer and some essential theology. It
celebrates the risen Christ who sits at God’s “right hand in the heavens.”
On earth, we who have faith can participate in the celebration of our
Savior’s sovereignty “not only in this
age but also in the one to come.”
© George Fournier 2013
