October 5, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
The story of us.
Which book are you more likely to pick up and read: a
book about people you barely know, living in places you know little about, or a
book about who we are and how we struggle with the challenges of daily life?
Consider the Bible.
It is an all-time best seller. Its
author is well known, and just about every Christian has a copy. But do we find our own lives reflected in the
pages of the Bible? Or is it difficult
to see the Bible as a book about real people - not just about kings and
commandments?
In last week’s Reflection on Lectoring it was suggested
that lectors should love the Scriptures.
Do we read the Scriptures only because they teach us moral
principals? Or are we also drawn to the
Scriptures because they offer us a compelling look at ourselves? Are we able to see in the Scriptures authentic,
real-life descriptions of who we are and the hard choices we must make?
Perhaps today’s readings can help us in making that
connection. With expressive verses that arouse
emotion, the readings present genuine human stories. The verses are taken from
chapters that should be read from beginning to end. They are verses with strong language and deep
feelings. They are verses that are best understood
when read aloud.
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First Reading - Isaiah 5:1-7
The Pain is Real
“Ah! Those who call evil good, and good evil, who
change darkness to light, and light into darkness, who change bitter to sweet,
and sweet into bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Regarding such people, Isaiah goes on to say, “Their root shall rot and their blossoms
scatter like dust” (5:24).
Chapter Five of Isaiah contains lots of villains. The prophet tells us that the rich and
powerful are destined to cause havoc and destruction to the house of Israel and
to the people of Judah. What is the
ordinary person caught up in this chaos to do?
We have heard the story of Israel’s infidelity and its
bad consequences many times. After
frequent retellings, the story can sound predictable, losing its ability to arouse
our interest and emotions. The pain and
suffering of the house of Israel and the people of Judah can be forgotten like
last week’s news. Perhaps that is why we
need today’s first reading. Perhaps that
is why words like “trampled,” “bloodshed” and “outcry” are so important.
Very real people suffered from the consequences of greed,
civil unrest and even armed conflict. Just
as they do today. Perhaps Isaiah had a good understanding of our human
condition. Perhaps he recognized that the
struggle between good and evil will always be a very real part of our ongoing
story.
______________________________
Second Reading - Philippians 4:6-9
A Letter to Friends
After we have heard from Isaiah about the total
destruction of the vineyard in the first reading, the last chapter of Paul’s Letter
to the Philippians is a welcome counterpoint.
Paul concludes his letter (thought by some to be a
compilation of three separate letters) with words like: “honorable,” “pure,”
“lovely” and “gracious.” This is the
kind of personal letter someone would write to his or her good friends. It is also the kind of letter that shows Paul
to be a real, flesh-and-blood person.
Despite all of the life-threatening hardships of his missionary
journeys, and despite the fact that he is writing this letter from prison, Paul
is still able to think about the welfare of his friends.
All of Paul’s letters
are written to real people. They acknowledge
the reality of pain and suffering, while also expressing a belief in the human
potential for love and caring. His letters
and all of Scripture reflect the totality of our human experience as children
of God. By telling the story of real
life Paul is telling us about ourselves.
He is writing the story of us.
© George Fournier, 2014
