October 13, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
Here are some thoughts about choice and commitment.
When choosing to be a proclaimer of the Word, lectors
rely on their understanding of the ministry, their knowledge of their gifts and
talents, and their belief that God wants them to do it. Lectors need all these things to make a
genuine commitment.
Part of that commitment involves a promise to show up on
time accompanied by an effort to speak clearly.
But it includes much more.
In her book Listening
to God’s Word, Alice Camille writes,
“We need the Bible.
We need it not just as a record of salvation history but for the sake of
what we might call salvation present. A living, breathing word has a dynamic
relationship with each new generation.”
Lectors need the Bible. So do the people who hear them read from the
Bible.
Several months ago, we
suggested that lectors might be thought of as the “Scripture people of the
parish.” It is natural for people
listening to any kind of presentation to expect the speaker to know something
about the subject he or she is presenting.
That expectation involves more than just factual knowledge. It also includes conviction, enthusiasm, and
an internal belief that the subject is important - personally important to the
speaker and to his or her hearers.
Choice and commitment must be renewed every day. A lector’s relationship with the Scriptures
is not a casual thing. It is a
life-giving thing. It is a relationship
that makes each proclamation special.
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First Reading - 2 Kings 5:14-17
Good and Bad, Side by Side
Here is the whole story behind this weekend’s first
reading.
Naaman, the army commander of Ben-Hadad II, the pagan
king of Aram, had a bad skin condition.
However a little girl who was snatched by the Arameans during a raid on
Israel tells Naaman’s wife that there is a prophet back home who can help.
The wife tells Naaman about the prophet (Elisha). Naaman then asks his king to write a letter
to King Joram, the king of Israel, asking for help with a cure. One naturally wonders why King Joram would
want to help someone who raids his country.
Not surprisingly, he does not, and suspects a plot to justify a war.
However, Elisha calms King Joram down, and Naaman is
allowed to come to Israel for his cure. But
Naaman is not happy. Instead of being
treated directly by Elisha, he is told by Elisha’s messenger to bathe in the Jordan. Naaman storms out complaining that there are
perfectly good rivers back home where he lives.
After some cajoling by his servants, Naaman relents,
plunges into the Jordan seven times, and is cured. Overjoyed, he offers Elisha lots of money and
10 festal garments. Elisha declines, but
is rewarded by hearing that Naaman now believes in the Lord of Israel.
Unfortunately, the story ends on a sour note. Elisha’s servant Gehazi makes up a phony story
and gets Naaman to give him some of the money.
You are invited to find out for yourself what happens to Gehazi as a
result.
______________________________
Second Reading - 2 Timothy 2:8-13
Unchained
You have to marvel sometimes. Who ever had as much perseverance as Paul? Who besides Jesus was more reviled, beaten
and betrayed? Paul travelled more
distance than Jesus. Visited more people
in more places. And sat in more jails.
Even with his own mortality staring him in the face, “the time of my departure is at hand” (2
Tim 4:6) . . . even when bound by chains, “I am suffering, even to the point of
chains, like a criminal” (2 Tim 2:9) Paul continues to preach about the
risen Lord.
His angry outbursts, “O
stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you.
. . . ?” (Gal 3:1) let you know that Paul was very human. But you marvel at how he can still go beyond
himself and think about the needs of others, even when he might easily be more preoccupied
with his own problems, “Therefore, I bear
with everything for the sake of those who are chosen” (2 Tim 2:10).
In today’s second reading Paul even uses his chains to give
Timothy and his readers encouragement, “But
the word of God is not chained.”
© George Fournier 2013
