June 9, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
Can being a lector become part of a person’s identity?
Personal identity is important for everyone’s wellbeing,
not just for adolescents trying to figure out who they are in a confusing world. A personal identity is equally important for
adults when the circumstances of life run up against basic beliefs and values.
What do I believe and why do I believe it? What do I do
and why do I do it? These are questions
about identity. The stronger the
commitment to the answers, the stronger the identity. In many ways, these same questions and
answers can also apply to our role as lector.
Can being a lector affect the way someone thinks about himself
or herself, or how he or she interacts with others? Does serving as a lector contribute to an
individual’s effort to fulfill his or her God-given purpose?
People instinctively know when they meet someone with
strong beliefs and a strong desire to fulfill God’s plan. They recognize a commitment to beliefs when
they see it in their family members, their friends, and in people with whom they
work.
People also recognize how strongly committed are the
people who proclaim the Scriptures. It
is a commitment and an identity that can serve as a personal asset for the
lector as well as a powerful witness to others.
____________________________
First Reading - 1 Kings 17:17-24
A Powerful Affirmation
By the time the prophet Elijah comes on the scene, the Israelites
had suffered irreparable damage to their common identity as the chosen people. Palace intrigues and infidelities against God
had turned the Promised Land into a place of rival factions and fratricidal fighting. Things got really out of control in 931 BC
after King Solomon died as the Promised Land was split into two kingdoms.
After the split, the Northern Kingdom had a succession of
really bad kings, with Ahab being the worst of the bunch. “Ahab,
son of Omri, did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than any of his
predecessors” (1 Kings 16:30). This was
the sad state of affairs encountered by Elijah when he was called by God.
How would Elijah handle this really difficult assignment?
First, he tells Kind Ahab that a really bad drought will
scorch his kingdom. Then he goes to a
widow in Zarephath and demands that she give him her last bit of food and a
place to sleep. Then, when her son dies,
the widow gets really mad and blames Elijah.
From the very start, this was to be a very difficult assignment.
In today’s first reading, things get a little
better. Elijah asks God to bring the
widow’s son back to life, and the widow says, “Now indeed, I know that you are a man of God.”
____________________________
Second Reading - Galatians 1:11-19
Learning on Doing
Here is something to think about. Lectors are not taught how to be lectors.
They may receive some advice and coaching. They may also receive assistance in
discerning God’s call. But their
spirituality, their relationship with God, and their ability to recognize the
ideas contained in the Scriptures are qualities that start with the lector.
The story of Paul’s ministry is a little like that. In today’s second reading he writes, “But when God, who from my mother’s womb had
set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to
me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles. . . ”
Like the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, Paul was called by
God. God had a plan for him, and it was
ultimately up to Paul to listen and respond.
It is fair to say that Paul learned a lot about himself, his ministry,
and how to serve God during his twenty years on the road.
© George Fournier, 2013
