Justin Martyr Explains How the Scriptures Are Read
At the commencement of the Triduum last yr, a theater monk offered our grouping of lectors this advice: Do your homework. Tell the story.
The monks of Saint John's Abbey invited me to proclaim the second reading at the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. The brusk piece from the kickoff letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians takes us into the moment Jesus offers the breadstuff and wine as his body and claret. I imagined the emotions of that Last Supper—feelings of fear, love, and uncertainty. I pictured the scene—close friends squeezed around a table, forks clanking, sharing laughs and tears.
Then I spoke Christ'southward words from my centre, every bit if they were my own. I am a part of the body of Christ, so in some ways, they are mine. This is my trunk that is for yous. Do this in remembrance of me. I hope the confidence of my voice, the emphasis I placed on words like body and you, conveyed even a little of the honey Jesus poured out for his disciples—and for united states of america—that night.
The practice of praying scripture out loud dates back to the earliest days of Christianity. In "The First Amends," 2nd-century saint Justin Martyr writes of how the customs would come together on Sundays to read "the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets . . . as long as time permits." The readings marked the opening of the eucharistic service.
Equally Christian worship developed, the Liturgy of the Word took a prominent role in the overall celebration. The Second Vatican Council'due south Constitution on Divine Revelation declares, "From the table of both the give-and-take of God and the body of Christ [the church building] unceasingly receives and offers to the true-blue the staff of life of life, especially in the sacred liturgy." Past proclaiming the word of God, the lector nourishes the faithful. God'south very self speaks through the minister of the discussion (General Instruction of the Roman Missal). Lectoring is a big responsibility—and a deeply spiritual practice.
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Proclaiming scripture out loud brings sacred stories of the by to life today. When I call back nigh my vocation to lector, I am reminded of the start of John's gospel: "And the Word became flesh and lived amidst us" (1:14). The Word became mankind—and the Word is all the same flesh today. Lectors breathe new life into words written thousands of years ago. It is a bold motion to put my vocalism into the stories of biblical giants similar Ruth, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, and especially Christ himself. Office of the beauty of proclaiming sacred texts out loud is the linking of past to present.
To the relief of those who, like Moses, feel nervous about speaking their own words, lectoring tin can be a welcomed opportunity. Much of the heavy lifting is done for u.s.a.. The words are already written down, and then the focus shifts from creating the content to finding means to communicate the content creatively. The stories of scripture are filled with rich emotions—from the despair felt by Jonah in the belly of the whale to Elizabeth'south joy when Mary arrived to visit and everything in between. The lector is responsible for embodying the story'south emotions. She or he decides which words to emphasize, where to suspension, and offers other verbal and nonverbal flavor. Begetter James A. Wallace, author of The Ministry of Lectors (Liturgical Press), calls lectors "instruments" of God. He writes, "The discussion of God to us will only accomplish its destination if it becomes the word of God through us."
By interim every bit a vessel for God's word, lectors are invited into deeper relationships with God themselves. Lectoring is ultimately a ministry of prayer or dialogue with God. Most lectors fix past praying with their reading ahead of fourth dimension. I enquire questions like: What is God trying to say in this story? Who is this God who's performing such marvelous deeds? How is God working through the other characters in the story? Engaging such questions not merely helps me to communicate the story more than effectively, but it also enhances my personal relationship with God. I'chiliad spending time with God'southward words. We're talking in a existent way.
Diana Macalintal, director of the role of worship for the Diocese of San Jose, developed a religion-sharing process for lectors. Some parishes gather the Sunday lectors and homilists together earlier in the week for an hour of communal prayer and discussion on the readings. Her process begins with a prayer to the Holy Spirit and invites the group to read both the gospel and the first reading aloud twice. The first time is just for listening. The 2nd read is a fourth dimension to note key words and phrases that are hitting. So the grouping shares. What struck you about the readings? What is going on in the life of the customs, world, and our own lives right now that connects with the readings? Historically, what was happening at the time the story was written?
Then Macalintal asks the lectors to "discern the message God's give-and-take is trying to communicate to your community in this time and identify." They likewise consider how the second reading fits into the central message. From there the lectors note the phrases in the reading that communicate the main message and practice reading these lines with special emphasis. My liturgy squad in college followed the process laid out by Macalintal. I found it enriching to connect life today with life thousands of years ago. The process also helped me become more aware of the needs of my community.
Every bit a spiritual practice, lectoring helps class the community. Ministers lector at liturgy, meaning we lector in a communal context. I feel united with my boyfriend parishioners when I'm standing at the ambo and able to make heart contact with them. I offering my voice and expressions. They appoint me back with circumspect nods and the response, "Thank you be to God," when I conclude.
The community journeys though the liturgy together. We hear the aforementioned words proclaimed. While anybody experiences the words differently, there is something to exist said for listening together. Thomas O'Loughlin, author of Explaining the Lectionary for Readers (Columba Press), notes, "We are worldwide i people, seeking to live as sisters and brothers, and we accept a unity in listening and so in prayer."
Catholic parishes around the globe follow the aforementioned lectionary cycle. The same message I'm proclaiming in Collegeville is existence shared in Rome, Buenos Aires, Greatcoat Town, and beyond. Other Christian traditions follow different reading cycles, merely the sharing of scripture out loud, together is a practice we all have in common. O'Loughlin continues, "Our unity as Christians, our unity in Jesus Christ, is expressed in the unity of the Liturgy of the Word throughout the whole church building on that day."
The spiritual do of lectoring encompasses what Christian organized religion is near—gathering together every bit a community, sharing stories, praising God, and keeping the faith alive. In our words and in our actions, we make the Body of Christ known to the globe.
This commodity likewise appears in the October 2017 issue of U.S. Cosmic (Vol. 82, No. 10, pages 45–46).
Image: Jessie Bazan
Source: https://uscatholic.org/articles/201709/to-hear-god-anew-read-scripture-aloud/
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