June 16, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
“Faith is born from listening, and is strengthened by
proclamation.”
These words were spoken by Pope Francis in a homily he recently
delivered on the third Sunday of Easter.
Although he was talking about the faith of all Christians, there is,
nevertheless, a message that applies in a special way to lectors.
The first reading for that Sunday was from the Acts of
the Apostles. It tells the story of the
apostles’ appearance before the Sanhedrin, accused of preaching about Jesus. Referring to Jesus’ death and resurrection,
Peter tells the chief priests that they must “obey God rather than men,” and be “witnesses of these things.” The
apostles rejoice that they can share the good news with others.
Bringing that message to the present day, Pope Francis
told the worshipers at Mass that being a witness, “applies to everyone; we all
have to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel.” He also stressed that each Christian does the
same thing in his or her own, unique way:
“In God’s great plan, every
detail is important, even yours, even my humble little witness, even the hidden
witness of those who live their faith with simplicity in everyday family
relationships, work relationships, friendships.”
In a recent lector reflection, we suggested that a
lector’s life circumstances contribute to his or her preparation as a witness
to others. Experiences, relationships,
even hardships all shape and inform our understanding of the Scriptures. They also shape how we share the Scriptures
with others.
_______________________________
First Reading - 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13
Heinous Behavior
If you were to conclude from today’s first reading that King
David was acting less than honorably, you would be completely justified. If you were to read all the details of King
David’s misdeeds described in chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, you might be completely
scandalized. By human standards, it
would be hard to forgive any part of his heinous behavior.
There is a great amount to think about in this short
reading. How could anyone live with King
David’s guilt? How could anyone who did
what King David did expect to receive God’s forgiveness?
How might the people at Mass react to this reading? Are they likely to think this is just another
melancholy Bible story like those they have heard many times before? Or are they likely to think that people lived
by different standards years ago, so you just have to expect those sorts of
things?
_______________________________
Second Reading - Galatians 2:16-21
Taking a Stand
Paul lays it on the line.
“If
justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” For Paul, it is “through faith in Jesus Christ” that
people are justified, not by adherence to Jewish normative customs.
In the letter to the Galatians, Paul uses strong language
when convicting Peter of deferring to Jewish custom and backing out of
celebrating the Lord’s Supper with Gentiles: “When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because
he clearly was wrong” (ch.2, v.11).
In today’s reading from Galatians, the intensity of
Paul’s rhetoric is again seen in his repetition of the dismissive phrase, “works of the law.” For Paul, being truly alive means having
Christ alive in him, not through observation of Jewish law. Being fully alive also means being able to fully
witness to faith.
© George Fournier 2013
