May 26, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
In recent years on television, there have been programs
featuring singing competitions, dancing competitions, even competitions in
which contestants were told, “You’re fired!”
In many of these programs, the contestants were rated against each other
on a numerical scale. According to this rating
system, some people were judged better than others in performing some specific activity.
That kind of measurement would never work for the
activity of lectoring.
Each lector is a unique person whose dignity, worth and
relationship with God cannot be calibrated on a scale of one to ten. And, although not everyone is called to be a
lector, those who are called by God have unique gifts, uniquely manifested in
each Scripture proclamation.
Not every lector has a background in public
speaking. Not every lector has a college
degree. Not every lector has studied
theology. Although some of these things
may in some ways be helpful, they are not essential.
What matters most is a lector’s response to the
call. What really matters is the
genuineness of the lector’s relationship to God, how meaningful to the lector are
the Scriptures, and how well a lector listens to God’s voice.
No one in the assembly holds up scoring numbers after
each Scripture proclamation. There is no
need. Every lector who sincerely serves
as God’s instrument knows with confidence that he or she has proclaimed God’s
word in a way that pleases him.
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First Reading - Proverbs 8:22-31
Order Out of Chaos
Natural disasters, illness, even loss of employment can
make the world seem like a chaotic place.
Unpredictability along with the absence of order and balance can create
a feeling of insecurity and doubt. Is
this really the way the world is constituted?
The wisdom literature in the Bible, ranging from the Book
of Job to the Book of Sirach, asks this same question. Sometimes there is an unequivocal answer. Sometimes, as with the story of Job, things
are not always black and white. In today’s
first reading, Proverbs presents an optimistic picture, beginning with chaos
and ending with order, casting lady Wisdom as a central character in the drama.
In a manner similar to the Genesis story, this passage
tells us that in the beginning there was only undifferentiated chaos. Then God intervened, creating the kind of
order in which humanity could thrive. As
today’s reading also tells us, Wisdom existed both before and after God’s grand
design put things in motion.
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Second reading - Romans 5:1-5
Beyond Wisdom to Faith, Hope and Love
What does it take to face “afflictions” with a positive frame of mind? Today’s first reading from Proverbs suggests
that God created a purposeful, ordered world where humanity can thrive, even if
perfect happiness is reserved for the next life in heaven.
St. Paul’s letter to the Romans offers Christians the
additional support and consolations of the theological virtues of faith, hope
and love. They are the virtues that have
God as their origin and object. They are
the virtues that enable Christians to live in a nurturing relationship with the
Holy Trinity. They are the virtues that
give us the best chance for successfully navigating the chaos and confusion.
In clear words Paul gives his readers and hearers a
three-fold promise: faith that provides “peace
with God,” hope that “does not
disappoint,” and love that “has been
poured out into our hearts.”
© George Fournier 2-13
