November 11, 2014
Reflection on Lectoring
Community occurs whenever people come together - whenever
people need other people to achieve a common goal or purpose. Lectoring is like that.
Sharing the Scriptures at Mass is done for a
purpose. While it is possible to read
the Scriptures at home by yourself, it is not possible to lector by
yourself. Sharing the Scriptures is a
community activity that is experienced mutually by the lector and the people in
the pews.
At Mass during the Liturgy of the Word, worshipers hear
God speaking to them both as individuals and as a community. Each person hears the words spoken to him or
her. But each person also knows that he
or she is not alone in encountering and worshiping God.
Lectors recognize that sharing the Scriptures is a group
activity. Lectors must also be sensitive
to the need everyone in a community has to feel welcomed and valued. In genuine communities, no one is anonymous.
Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar in his book, Engagement with God wrote, “The most
significant thing in life that can happen to our neighbor is his being laid
claim to and taken seriously as a person.”
It is that understanding that motivated the Good Samaritan. He recognized the man lying in the street as
a person. Even before there were
Christians, the Good Samaritan understood that his encounter with God required
his encountering his neighbor.
Lectors have the job of encountering each individual
person with whom they worship. They know
that only from individual encounters can genuine community be created. Lectors also know that, with the help of the
Holy Spirit, the proclamation of the Scriptures can inspire all in the assembly
to share that sense of community with each other.
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First Reading - Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
God's Enduring Presence
In 324 AD the Basilica of St. John Lateran was dedicated,
making it the oldest church in the West.
It also has the distinction of being the cathedral church of the Bishop
of Rome, the Pope. For the Jewish
people, the temple in Jerusalem described in today’s first reading also holds a
place of singular importance. It was
God’s residence on earth and served as an essential component of Jewish
identity.
Ezekiel was already in exile in Babylon when the temple
was destroyed in 587 BC. Today’s first
reading concludes a five-chapter-long section describing in great detail the
design and rituals of the new, hoped for temple that would be built after the Babylonian
exile. The chapters are written by
Ezekiel with great confidence that there would be a new temple.
Today’s reading also describes the power of God to bring
life to a ruined land. The water flowing
from the temple starts as a trickle of water and becomes a powerful river that
provides food and healing to a restored people.
The Lateran Basilica also experienced total destruction.
It was plundered by tribes invading Rome.
It was destroyed by an earthquake and later by two fires. It was even torn down to make way for a new
structure. But it survived the centuries
as a symbol of God’s continued presence.
Its 1,700-year history reflects great confidence that God’s Church will
endure.
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Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
Temple Builders
Construction imagery is an important part of the third
chapter of 1 Corinthians. Paul says, “According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation.” Jesus Christ is the
foundation and the members of the Corinthian Christian community are the
builders, each according to his or her talents.
However, this new temple is not a physical structure
confining God to one location. Rather,
God lives in the communities where individual people come together in harmony for
the two-fold purpose of worshiping God and building each other up.
Unfortunately the community in Corinth was marked by
factions, “I mean that each of you is
saying, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’
or ‘I belong to Christ’” (1:12). The
Corinthians’ inability to recognize the essential purpose of the community ultimately
threatened the very life of their community.
In the Lector
Reflection above, we said that lectors help to build up the community by loving
and respecting the individuals with whom they worship. By the nature of their calling, lectors
recognize the gravity of Paul’s words when he says, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the
temple of God, which you are, is holy.”
© George Fournier, 2014
