December 15, 2013
Reflection on Lectoring
Do you believe?
Do you believe what you are saying?
Do you?
Last week we began an examination of the purpose of
lectoring. Does a lector deliver instruction
on the content of the Scriptures to his or her hearers? Or, as was suggested by one of our deacons at a recent lector meeting, is the job of the lector to “make the Scriptures
come alive?”
But how does a lector “make the Scriptures come alive”
and what does that mean? Perhaps the best answer is to look at how you make the
Scriptures come alive for yourself. It
starts with believing.
Take a serious look at your next Scripture reading
assignment. Do you really believe the
words that you will be proclaiming? Is
your belief based simply on the idea that the words are probably true because they
come from the Bible? Do you accept what
is written because you have heard the same passage before, or because it
corresponds well to some religious instruction you once received in the past?
Or do you believe because you can make a personal
connection with the words? Being personal
means more than just careful analysis or intellectual acceptance. It means both a head and heart response. It means a genuine belief that God is saying
something directly to you. It means he
is using the words you read as his means of communication.
Lectors may sometimes feel that the readings at Mass
sound incomplete or obscure, hard to analyze or applicable only to people of a
different time or place. If lectors
allow themselves to feel that way, it is easy to imagine how their hearers will
feel. That is not how to make the
Scriptures come alive.
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First Reading - Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
A Witness to Joy
What a beautiful piece of poetry! What magnificent lyrics for a song! Do you want to feel encouraged, uplifted, or
joyful?
To enjoy and appreciate today’s first reading you do not
have to know anything about Carmel or Sharon.
Let the Scripture scholars worry about that.
Look instead at the words “splendor,” “rejoice” and “bloom.” Listen to God saying, “Be strong, fear not!” Say
the words out loud and let yourself smile.
Let the smile arise from inside - from how you feel inside.
Let your hearers at Mass also feel the joy. Everyone needs encouragement. Everyone deserves to know, “Here is your God.” He is right there with them at Mass.
____________________________
Second Reading - James 5:7-10
Patience with a Purpose and a Promise
How do you tell someone to be patient? One way can sound somewhat disapproving, almost
as if you have lost patience with the person whom you are telling to be
patient. “Please, be patient!”
Another way can sound like pleading. “Please, have a little patience.”
There is also the kind of patience James had in mind when
he talks about Job, “You have heard of
the perseverance of Job” (5:11). In
today’s second reading (5:.10) he also talks about the patience shown by “the prophets who spoke in the name of the
Lord.” These are examples of patience
with a purpose. A patience that is as
strong as the conviction that God has something good in store for us.
Since we know that Christmas always follows Advent on the
calendar, it might seem a little unnecessary to promote the value of patience. Maybe a better word might be
anticipation. Or maybe expectation. Both have a positive connotation.
Perhaps the best way to look beyond the burden of
patience is to believe firmly that something good is about to happen. “See
how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,” says James.
© George Fournier 2013
