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Blessed Sacrament Lector Resource |
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May I be a hollow reed through which passes the Word of the Lord. Greetings, peace and welcome to this site dedicated to the Ministry of Lectors of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church - Burlington, North Carolina. It is the mission of a lector to be the channel through which God's Word is made present to the faithful. May you find this site a useful resource for lifting His Word from the pages of Scripture and bringing them to life through skilled and spiritual proclamation that I may worthily proclaim the good news of salvation."
Tips on this weekend's readings from Lectorprep.org:Our Liturgical Setting: A reason we might want to celebrate the dedication of a distant church: "This feast became a universal celebration in honor of the basilica called 'the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world' as a sign of love for and union with the See of Peter." That's the conclusion of the introduction to the feast at the website of Saint Charles Borremeo Catholic Church, Picayune, Mississippi, USA. First reading, Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12The Historical Situation: In 597 BCE, an enemy army uprooted many of God's people and dragged them into slavery in Babylon, some 750 miles from their homeland. Thus began the period known as the Babylonian Captivity, or simply the Exile. The exiles' experience was painful, but Ezekiel's compatriots had been saying, "It's going to get better soon. We'll get to go home. This will all be over shortly." Ezekiel had to warn them that things were going to get much worse before they got better, that, due to their unfaithfulness, they had a fuller measure of suffering to endure. This came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem, the object of the exiles' hopes, in 587. Their dreams died.
The Literary Setting: All that said, the end of the long book of Ezekiel turns to the restoration of the Temple, spiritual and cultural center of the longed-for Jerusalem. For nine chapters, the prophet describes a detailed vision of the site, the buildings, the rituals, the personnel, the furnishings and numerous other aspects of the renewed Temple in a renewed city in a renewed nation. This paragraph describes the Temple as a source of life-giving water for a broad sweep of land that will be the marvelously fertile home of the restored tribes. (This makes more sense if you read the whole chapter. Do that to get the sense of awe that the prophet wanted to inspire.) Proclaiming It: In the first sentence, put the accent on water flowing, so your listeners know immediately what the rest is about. This is both a prophetic vision and a description of something wonderful, so it calls for an awe-filled, wonder-struck tone of voice. The abundance of fish and fruit and medicinal leaves due to this water is meant to sound amazing. Be sure you know how to pronounce façade and Arabah Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17The Historical and Theological Background: Corinth was a busy, cosmopolitan, pagan city, a Greek seaport with all the vices seaports are wont to have, and all the intellectual currents and ferment that a Greek city of the time could have. The young Christian community there was not immune to these influences. Of particular concern to Saint Paul was the unity of that church. He strove to unify factions that centered around allegiance either to Paul or to another Christian teacher named Apollos, or to one named Kephas.
In this chapter Paul's metaphor for unity is a building, specified as a temple. In other chapters of the same letter, for similar reasons, he introduces the image of the human body as a sign of unity. Christ is the foundation of the building and the head of the body. Proclaiming It: Paul is being strict, direct and blunt here. About the unity of the church there can be no compromising. So speak with authority. Pronounce the sentences at a measured pace. Make the imperatives sound like firm orders. Comments, questions and suggestions for improving this website are most welcome. Please contact: David Lynch
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