March 23, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
“Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful
should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical
celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.”
- Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (No.10)
This week’s Reflection on Lectoring concludes our
discussion of the assembly’s active participation in the proclamation of the
Scriptures and the role of the lector in leading that participation.
Just what does “active participation” mean? Aside from suggesting that worshipers at Mass
should be more than passive observers, the postconciliar document entitled, “Musicam Sacram” or “Instruction on Music
in the Liturgy” identifies two kinds of participation: internal and external.
Internal participation specifies that “the faithful join
their mind to what they pronounce or hear, and cooperate with heavenly grace.”
The document also specifies an external participation
wherein the faithful “show the internal participation by gestures and bodily
attitudes, by the acclamations, responses and singing.”
There are parallels between the assembly’s response to
the proclamation of the Word and to the words that are put to music. Both involve the participation of the entire
assembly. Both involve some external
response - whether a verbal response at the end of each reading, or the singing
of hymns and responsorial acclamations.
Both also involve an internal participation in which worshipers find
personal meaning in the words, and give praise and thanksgiving to God for the
grace to find that meaning.
In their singing, people in the assembly are like a large
orchestra with different sounding instruments, each person carrying the tune in
his or her own way, with his or her own insights and life experiences. In a similar way, the people in the assembly
also hear and respond to the readings in their own unique and personal ways.
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First Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
Fragile Hopes
Hope, fear and trust are all mixed together in today’s
first reading. For hundreds of years
while in Egypt, the chosen people hoped for the fulfillment of God’s promise to
Abraham. They hoped for a homeland of
their own. They hoped for a national and
spiritual identity that would last.
How fragile hope can be.
Also true is how an immediate need can supersede
long-term aspirations, and how fear can overcome trust. The Israelites had just
seen hundreds of years of captivity come to an end. They had just celebrated their freedom with a
song, “I will sing to the Lord, for he is
gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea, My strength
and my refuge is the Lord, and he has become my savior” (Exodus
15:1-2). They also had just seen quail
and manna appear from nowhere so they could eat.
Now they were thirsty.
And their trust in God crumbled.
Our lector workbook suggests that the last line of
today’s reading might be read with regret at the Israelites’ lack of
faith. Perhaps that is true. Perhaps equally true is that faith, hope and
trust can be very fragile. Also true is
that they often require constant strengthening by each one of us individually
in prayer, and by all of us together in a community of faithful believers. Your proclamation can be a source for keeping
faith, hope and trust strong for all those who pray with you at Mass this
weekend.
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Second Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
The Antidote to Fear
In today’s first reading we saw how an immediate,
pressing need wiped out an entire people’s confidence. We were left wondering if there is an
antidote to intense fear and fleeting hope.
In today’s second reading Paul says there is.
He does more than simply say, “hope does not disappoint.” Hope
must have a foundation. The last verse
of today’s second reading offers us that foundation. “But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
This reading presents a challenge. Do I really have faith even when fear tries
to push out hope? Do I really believe in
God’s love when our human experience of love is scarce or has been taken away?
As you think about the last verse of today’s second
reading ask yourself do you really believe what you are about to tell hundreds of
people sitting in front of you at Mass this weekend?
© George Fournier, 2014
