December 22, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
“The lector must thoroughly understand and fully
appreciate the spiritual meaning of the text before s/he can make God’s word
come alive to the assembly.”
-
Deacon Bob
Over the last few weeks, we have presented some of the
insights of a deacon in our my parish about how lectors make the scriptures come
alive. What he makes clear is that
lectoring involves much more than reading words on autopilot.
How, then, does the lector make the scriptures “come
alive?” “First,” suggests Deacon Bob,
“the lector must be a person of prayer, s/he should pray over the scriptures.” He
also advises, “Any person who prays the scriptures will just naturally attain
to a higher plane of understanding and a consequent ability to make scripture
come alive.”
Every prayer is a personal conversation with God, and
every prayerful meditation on the scriptures invites God to inform our
understanding of his words.
Additionally, Deacon Bob urges us to prepare for
proclaiming the scriptures by reading them out loud. He cites an article by William Harris, a
former humanities professor from Middlebury College, who relates some of the essential
benefits of this type of out-loud reading.
“Reading is kept to a slow and sensitive pace, one savors the sounds and
enjoys minute changes of meaning and inflections of mood,” writes Harris.
It is ok to enjoy the sound of the words. It is ok to understand the meaning of the
words with our minds, hearts and souls.
While it is useful to review the background information offered by scripture
commentaries, it is equally important to recognize God’s words as innately beautiful
words, awe inspiring words, and truly life-changing words.
_________________________
First reading - Isaiah 7:10-14
A Reason to Be Hopeful
Ahaz is incorrigible.
What do you do with a king who gets it all wrong? Are you just stuck with him? Do you just hope for something better after
he is gone - without any really good reason to expect anything better?
Ahaz was one of Judah’s really bad kings. He was responsible for Idolatry and child
sacrifice. He was also responsible for
an alliance with Assyria that Isaiah felt was a bad idea. It turns out that Isaiah was right. The alliance results in Judah’s becoming a
vassal of Assyria.
In today’s reading Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign
from God - a recommendation which Ahaz disingenuously declines. The king is going to do things his own way.
____________________________
Second Reading - Romans 1:1-7
Identity and Belonging
At the time he wrote the Letter to the Romans, Paul had
not yet visited Rome which was then a well established community of believers. Consequently, he begins the letter by introducing
himself to his readers. He calls himself
an apostle of the “gospel of God” and
“a slave of Christ Jesus.”
The beginning of this letter is all about belonging - belonging to a group of believers with a common
purpose : “to bring about the obedience
of faith.”
It is a feeling of belonging that extends to all Christians
who “are called to belong to Jesus
Christ.” In addition to their call,
they all “have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of
faith.”
Your hearers at Mass also belong to a community of
believers. You and they belong to Jesus
Christ.
© George Fournier 2013
