May 25, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
“In wonder is wisdom born.”
Death on a Friday Afternoon
Rev.
Richard John Neuhaus
When reflecting on the death of Jesus in his book Death on a Friday Afternoon, Father
Neuhaus reminds us of the great mystery that Jesus was both God and man. When we contemplate mysteries like the Incarnation,
our “wonder” about such events often has two distinct aspects.
In one sense, we wonder why. Why did God the Father send his only Son to
live and die for our sins? Surely he
could have achieved our redemption in some gentler manner. Whenever we wonder “why” or ask questions, we
create the possibility for greater personal wisdom.
In a second sense, the word “wonder” conveys the feeling of
awe we experience whenever we receive a glimpse of the infinite grandeur and
transcendence of God. We find ourselves
in awe of all that our God has wrought.
As lectors, wonder and awe should always be our response
to God’s words in the Scriptures - all of his words in all of the
Scriptures. At times, however, we might encounter
words that seem to describe less than awe-inspiring events or obscure details from
the past with limited relevance for today.
We might also find frustration in hard-to-understand
concepts expressed in overly long sentences.
When translated into English, some
of the writings of St. Paul offer especially good examples of poor sentence
structure. We might even find support for our difficulties with St. Paul in 2
Peter 3:16 where it says of his letters, “In them there are some things hard to
understand.”
However, a commitment to the ministry of lector requires
awe and reverence for all the Scriptures.
It requires the gift for discerning significance in what may,on the
surface, appear to be the most insignificant of verses.
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First Reading - Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17
Fireworks in Samaria
Today’s first reading is not at all lacking in awe and
wonder. And, as we see, Philip, who
found it necessary to get out of Jerusalem quickly, does not appear to be
speaking in a gentle whisper. Rather the
people in Samaria “paid attention to what
was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.”
The excitement in Samaria was heard all the way back in
Jerusalem, causing the apostles to send Peter and John on a fact-finding mission. When they got there, things got even more
energized for the Samarians when the apostles “laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
How should a lector proclaim this kind of story? Was all this excitement simply the reaction
you would expect from simple people from 2,000 years ago? Would too much enthusiasm not go over well
with the more sophisticated people of today?
Should the line “great joy in that
city” be toned down to sound more like “a lot of people were very happy”?
It is possible to read this Scripture passage as a brief report
on an event that took place 2,000 years ago.
It is also possible to proclaim this passage as the movement of the Holy
Spirit that continues to this day.
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Second Reading - 1 Peter 3:15-18
A Persuasive Presence
Today’s second reading recommends that we should, “always be ready to give an explanation to
anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” Perhaps, however, we should first be ready to
give ourselves a reason for hope
before we expect to give it to others.
You can’t give to others what you don’t have yourself.
There are many books on apologetics, some of which can
sound defensive and argumentative. If
only others would accept the apparent logic and good sense of our position the
world would be a better place. God would
be glorified. Or would he?
Perhaps the best “explanation” of why we hope starts with
us. Perhaps when we are simply being
present to others and love them, we speak most eloquently. Perhaps “gentleness
and reverence” achieve more good results than confrontation and debate.
Perhaps also the way
in which the lector proclaims the second reading will serve as the best method
for getting the point across.
© George Fournier, 2014
