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“And he (Jesus) said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe what the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer and enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scripture”
Luke 24:25-27 – The Appearance on the Road to Emmaus
Lectors proclaim the Word of God at parish liturgies. Please contact the ministry leader if you are interested in becoming a lector for more information.
The Lector Ministry plays an important role in the celebration of liturgy – training, support and resources are made available to those involved in this ministry.
Click here to view the current Mass schedule
Explanation of the Ministry of Lectors
St. Paul writes, “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the word of Christ” Romans 10:17
There is often a misconception within the Catholic Church that it does not give a significant place to scripture. The reality is that in the Catholic celebration of the Mass, there are two equal parts – the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As described in the “Constitution on Sacred Liturgy’’ “the two parts in a sense go to make up the Mass… the liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship. In the first part of the Mass, God speaks to his people through the Scriptures and in the homily, in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, God’s people should respond by giving thanks and praise. God’s people should be instructed by God’s word and be nourished at the table of the Lord’s body”.
The Church understands Scripture to be the Word of God and indeed after a reading is proclaimed; it is concluded by the lector with the acclamation, “The Word of the Lord”. To emphasize this understanding even further, in the Constitution on Divine Revelation, can found the following. "Tradition and scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church”. There can be no mistake of the importance of Scripture within the Catholic Church that the church sees the Bible as a witness to the power and purpose of God in the world.
It is for this purpose and understanding of theology that the Liturgy of the Word has equal emphasis in the Mass to the Liturgy of the Eucharist – a very powerful statement since that Catholics believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. This implies that the Church understands the Word of God as proclaimed in the Liturgy, is the living word. By this the Church understands that God’s word has the power to create, is effective and endures.
In the Old Testament, God’s Word is demonstrated in so many ways – starting with the story of creation where God spoke and it was. In the New Testament, the Word takes on another dimension especially in John’s Gospel - “the Word was made Flesh”. Again in the Gospels, there are examples of where Jesus spoke and it was from the calming of the storm to the healing of the blind man. And that Word is what is proclaimed to us today by lectors. This Word with its many faces from the Scriptures continues to speak to people today as the day it was first uttered. The power of the Word is real and alive and it is the lector who gives flesh to the words.
The Role of the Lector
Liturgy literally means the work of the people – from the Greek leitos meaning people and ergon meaning work. It is within this understanding that in 1972, Pope Paul VI’s apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam restored the lector to the official status of ministry. It is through lectors that God continues to feed his people at table with the Word of God. The role of the lector is to communicate this living Word to people.
This call cannot be taken lightly. It requires a person to be willing to learn and to be responsible in preparation of the readings. This is no easy task because the readings from Scripture are complex and each piece has its own tone from the story of Creation to the Gospel scene of Jesus dying on the Cross and His Resurrection. Each book found in Scripture has its own demands. This necessitates the lector to be skilled at being aware of such variances.
This requires a lector to be prepared and familiar with the readings. It is important for a lector to read the passage as a listener, to be aware of what they saying, how they are saying it and letting the passage come alive for the listener.
Ministry of Lector at St. Gregory’s
The ministry of lectors is a central ministry to celebration of liturgies at St. Gregory’s. This is why every support possible is available. All lectors are provided with the yearly cycle of readings in a Lector’s Manual which provides the lectors a better understanding of cultural and historical background of the reading and help with pronunciation.
Prayer of Blessing for Lectors
Everlasting God,
When Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth,
Your Son proclaimed the Good News of salvation,
For which he would give up his life.
Bless these readers.
As they proclaim your words of life,
Strengthen their faith
That they may read with conviction and boldness,
And put into practice what they have read.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Click here to view the current Mass schedule
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