September 7, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
Here is a short quiz lectors can complete in a minute.
Without looking in your lector workbook, try to recall at
least one of the readings you proclaimed during the current liturgical
year. Go ahead. If necessary, you can take more than a
minute.
Perhaps it might be easier if you thought about your
all-time favorite reading. While deciding,
you might also consider what makes that reading the most memorable.
Are Scriptures that answer how to live most
memorable? For instance, in the second
reading from the first Sunday in Advent, Paul advises us to, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14). Or do Scriptures that make you feel good
remain with you longer? “Rise up in
splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon
you.” (Isaiah 60:1-6). Or do painful
exclamations like last week’s outburst from Jeremiah leave a more lasting
impression? “You duped me, O Lord, and I
let myself be duped” (Jeremiah 20:7-9).
Every reading has its own character, its own message, and
its own power to inspire. But, what none
of them give us are simple answers. If
our response to the Scriptures is simple, and if we do not grapple with them to
understand what they are saying, they are likely to be quickly forgotten.
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First Reading - Ezekiel 33:7-9
Forgiveness or Punishment
Among the not-so-simple questions addressed by Scripture
is the question of justice or mercy, punishment or forgiveness. Is a proportional “eye for an eye” what
Scripture recommends? Or is Jesus’
command to forgive one’s brother “seventy times seven” closer to the mark? Do these Scriptural references to justice and
mercy present an uncomfortable contradiction that we wish would just go away? Or is there a value in the kind of
uncertainty that leads to further discussion, even when clear answers are not always
on the horizon?
All three of today’s readings can take us deeper into the
question of justice and mercy. What do
you do when someone does bad things?
What options are available when that person refuses to listen? Is there a duty to punish or a duty to forgive?
At the very least, today’s first reading suggests that
there is a duty to warn. In his book, Religion and Philosophy, English
philosopher and historian, R.G. Collingwood relates some of the different approaches
people have had to the issue of justice, but recommends that God may have the
best idea: “God’s attitude towards the sins of men must be one which combines
condemnation of the sinful will with love and hope for it” (p.180).
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Second Reading - Romans 13:8-10
Grievance Upon Grievance
In Chapter 13 of Romans, Paul advises his readers about
their obligations to civil authority and to the divine law contained in the
commandments. He makes it clear that violations
of either one will subject the violator to negative consequences.
Paul also offers a way out of the cycle of evil-doing and
punishment that seems beyond our control: “Owe
nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another
has fulfilled the law.”
The news today is filled with stories about someone or
some group seeking retribution for the actions of others. Grievances piled upon grievances.
© George Fournier, 2014
