February 9, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
Here is a question:
Why does our lector workbook frequently encourage lectors to make eye
contact?
Is it because we simply want the assembly to see we are
looking at them in the hope that they will look back at us? Is it because a little eye contact somehow helps
the words get across better? Would the
words be less effective if the lector concentrated solely on the Lectionary?
In last week’s Reflection on Lectoring we said that many
in the assembly find benefit in reading along from their books while the words
are proclaimed. For those who read along
does eye contact make any real difference?
It is certain that the Scriptures can be effective for
meditation and inspiration when read by someone in silence. If this is so, what does eye contact add? Perhaps the best answer to these questions may
lie in what we are attempting to do.
It might be good to think of the Scriptures as part of
communal, shared worship. Not something
done in isolation. If a lector is truly worshiping
with the assembly, he or she is not standing alone, using his or her voice simply
to pace a guided reading. If the assembly
is worshiping as a communal body, its members are not simply sitting as
solitary individuals allowing the lector to lead their reading.
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First Reading - Isaiah 58:7-10
Doing What is Right
There is a remarkable contrast between today’s first
reading and the Gospel.
Isaiah is describing the obligations appropriate to a
just society, most especially the obligation to remember the needs of the
hungry, the oppressed and the homeless.
He then goes on to say that if people do these things then “you shall call, and the Lord will answer.” When you do what is right, you will be
blessed. There is a direct correlation
between the two.
While not denying that a just society functions better
and produces better results, the Gospel emphasizes a different reason for doing
what is right. The followers of Jesus do
what is right simply because they follow Jesus.
As the Gospel says, “You are the
salt of the earth.” They do what
they do not for reward, not because of a contractual or societal obligation,
but because that is who they are.
True identity is not defined or determined by what a
person does. The opposite is true. Identity governs and directs what a person
does: “You are the light of the world.”
Isaiah rightly says that God is better served by acts of
kindness than by fasting and rituals. Taking
that a step farther, Jesus is saying that because love asks for nothing in
return, it is the best witness to God’s presence.
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Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Knowing Who You Are
St. Paul had a clear notion of who he was. He had a strong grasp of his identity.
As he states in the second reading, he lacked
sophistication in stating his case: “My
message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom.” He understood his strengths and
weaknesses. He also acknowledged that when
he came to the Corinthians he came “in
weakness and fear and much trembling.”
What he did have, however, was a powerful conviction that
he was God’s messenger, that he had a purpose and identity, and that everything
he did had to flow from that purpose.
Knowing who God was calling him to be was an essential
source of Paul’s strength. It enabled him to travel thousands of miles, suffer
beatings and rejection, and sacrifice both his freedom and his life. It enabled him to fight through his
fears. And it gave him comfort when he
knew the end was near: “I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy
4:7).
In different ways, all
three of today’s readings talk about doing what is right. Other than Jesus himself, there can be no
better role model for doing what is right than St. Paul.
© George Fournier 2014
