August 17, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
Do you really believe what you are saying?
Part of our preparation for proclaiming the Scriptures
involves understanding the literal meaning of the words. Do they narrate some event in salvation
history? Do they provide instruction in matters
of faith? Do they direct us to live a
moral life?
Perhaps after this first step, lectors might also reflect
on the deeper, more personal meaning contained in the Scriptures. At
what level are the words true? Do they impact
the way we live, the way we think, or the way we relate to God and each other? At what level do we, as lectors, believe what
we are saying to the assembly?
In recent weeks, lectors have proclaimed the following
verses: “I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for
us” (Romans 8:18). “And you gave your children good ground for
hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.” (Wisdom 12:19). “What
will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35).
None of these verses is hard to understand. They all can be read simply as commonly accepted
statements of belief - the kind of statements to which the assembly can easily
give their assent.
Or they can challenge us to think more deeply.
What does it mean to believe that the “sufferings of this present time” are as
nothing compared with what awaits us, especially when we are in pain? What does it mean to have “good ground for hope,” especially when
we have lost a friend or loved one and now hope that he or she is with God? What does it mean to be absolutely certain
that nothing can “separate us from the
love of Christ” . . . ever?
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First Reading - Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
A Common Identity
The number of ways people can find to place barriers
between themselves and others is almost innumerable. People who live on opposite sides of a
border, people who speak different languages, and people who just look
different from each other often create identities for themselves by concentrating
on the differences of others.
Although group-specific narratives and traditions can
bring people together for a common goal, today’s first reading suggests that
God offers a more inclusive narrative and a more transcendent goal.
Without abrogating his covenant with the Israelites, God
finds a way to incorporate “foreigners” into the promise when he says, “them I will bring to my holy mountain.”
Today’s first reading also tells us that all God’s
children can exercise their free will to worship him as their creator. All his children can find a common identity
as members of his family.
In the normal course of human activities, groups that
have no boundaries often also lack focus.
In God’s house, however, everyone is invited, and everyone can express his
or her individual identity while sharing a common bond as one of God’s children. “For my
house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
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Second Reading - Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Role Reversal
Paul begins Chapter 11 of Romans by saying unequivocally,
“I ask then, has God rejected his
people? Of course not!” In the Old Testament, the world was often
divided into two groups: the Chosen People and everyone else. Now, Paul has to warn the Gentiles against
thinking of themselves as the new privileged group, while the Jews are consigned
to the group abandoned by God.
In a somewhat ironic way, the roles have been
reversed. In the Old Testament, God
manifested himself through his covenant with Israel. Now, in their acceptance of the Messiah, the
Gentiles have become God’s witnesses. It
is a role reversal that Paul uses to good effect when he glories “in my ministry in order to make my race
jealous and thus save some of them.” Paul has definitely not abandoned the people
of his birth.
In the second half of today’s second reading God again
reveals himself, this time by the mercy he shows to those who have
disobeyed. Nobody is without failings. But everybody - Jews and Gentiles alike - can
experience his mercy and be reconciled to the Father.
All three of today’s
readings make it clear that every person (the persistent Canaanite woman in today’s
Gospel for example) has a distinct role to play in witnessing to God’s
presence. They all share in the accomplishment
of God’s purpose. They all have
membership in God’s family.
© George Fournier, 2014
