Chapter
One
The Word of all Life
By
sharing in this ministry of service to the parish community, the
reader enables the Word of God to be proclaimed in the midst of
the assembly. since the Second Vatican Council, the Word of God
has restored as a living and life-giving event, the Council insisting
that god's Word is the source of all life. The task of the Church
in our time is to give God's living Word back to the people.
In
order to do our task effectively, we need to know something of the
nature of the Word, its purpose and the means of bringing the Word
to life. The purpose of claiming the living Word of God in the midst
of the assembly is to help the members experience the living and
life-giving presence of Jesus in the Word. This experience of the
presence of Jesus in the Word depends on the members of the assembly
consciously and deliberately taking on the role of the listener.
The community is called to listen. Without listeners there is no
living Word. Through genuine listening - listening with the ear
of the heart - we open ourselves to the life-giving Word. When we
do not listen, we close ourselves to the power of the Spirit who
heals us, enabling us to grow and transform our lives ( Matthew
13:10-17). The task is clear; we need to form life-giving readers
and life-giving listeners.
Proclamation
of the Word is essentially story-telling. Story telling has the
power to bring forth both teller and listener into the storytelling
world, and to transform them through the power of the story. When
we proclaim the Word of the Lord we are telling God's story - God
is the Author. But God's story is our story. In the telling and
listening we are able to merge into the mystery of God's love, of
Jesus' dying and rising. We become profoundly aware of who we are,
where we come from, what we are for and where we are going.
The
power of the Word
The
Old Testament describes God's Word as creative, energetic, even
explosive. By means of his Word, God brings the universe into being.
Fire and water are two particularly powerful images which the great
prophets used to describe the dynamic activity of God's Word. Fire
refines and purifies while water nourishes and gives life.
The
prophets Malachi and Jeremiah experience the Word of God as the
refiner's fire which burns away all deception revealing only the
truth (see Malachi 3:2-3). In Isaiah we read how the Word is like
refreshing water: 'Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from
the heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making
it yield and give growth to provide seed for the shower and bread
for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return
to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what
it was sent to do' (Isaiah 55:10 -11).
The
New Testament teaches us how the Word became flesh. All that God
spoke of in the Hebrew Scriptures reached fulfillment in His eternal
Son - Jesus who is the eternal Word become flesh within history.
He wants to speak to us in a way that will change our lives. His
word beckons us from our isolation into a vital relationship with
Him in the midst of our community. He put us in touch with our deepest
needs in order to awaken us to the realization that 'Man does not
live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God' (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).
As
the Word begins to transform our lives, as the Holy Spirit internalises
the Word in our hearts, we begin to experience wisdom and strength
to release that Word into our ordinary, every day, practical living.
The
hearing of God's Word reaches completion only when we put that Word
into practice; '.... and in a teachable spirit you must receive
implanted in your heart the word which is able to save your souls.
You must not only listen to the word; you must act on it. Otherwise,
you indulge in self-deception...' (see James 1:19-25).
The
two tables
The
main parts of the Mass are called the Liturgy of the Word and the
Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Liturgy of the Word we hear the
story of the people of God throughout the ages. We identify with
their response to God's call - generous, indifferent or denied as
in our own day. Of one and the same people, we are at one with those
who have gone before us on the pilgrimage of faith. Now Christ,
the Word of the Father, speaks to us of the Kingdom of God in our
midst and the Gospel values he calls us to live by: words of life
in an age that seeks for meaning.
In
the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the same Jesus comes to us as the
Bread of Life, food for our journey (John 6:51). He is the Bread
that feeds and nourishes, enabling us to 'go in peace to love and
serve the Lord' - empowering us to make a lived response to His
word, working for Him for the building of the Kingdom in today's
society.
These
complementary parts of the Mass are so closely related that they
form one single act of worship. The idea is that we should move
from one table to the other. At both we are nourished; at the one
we are instructed by Christ the Teacher and at the other we are
fed by the same Christ, the Bread of Life.
The
Church has always reverenced the Scriptures just as it reverences
the Body of the Lord; for from the table of God's Word and the Table
of Christ's Body, it receives the Bread of Life and offers it to
the faithful...' (Para 21, Dei Verbum, Dogmatic Constitution
on Divine Revelation).
'In
the readings... God speaks to his people, reveals to them the mysteries
of redemption and salvation, and provides them with spiritual nourishment;
and Christ himself, in the form of his word, is present in the midst
of the faithful.' (para 33, Sacrosanctum Concilium, The
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy).
Consider
also this quotation from one of the early Church Fathers, Caesarius
of Arles:
'I
have a question for you, brothers and sisters. Which do you think
more important - the Word of God or the Body of Christ? If you want
to answer correctly, you must tell me that the Word of God is no
less important than the Body of Christ! How careful we are, when
the Body of Christ is distributed to us, not to let any bit of it
fall to the ground from our hand! But we should also be just as
careful not to let slip from our hearts the Word of God that is
addressed to us, by thinking or speaking of something else. He will
be no less guilty who listens negligently to the Word of God than
he who by his negligence allows the Lord's body to fall on the ground.'
Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 78:2
The
Ministry of Reader
By
virtue of our baptism we have the duty and privilege of spreading
the Good News of salvation. Christ's command to 'Go out to the whole
world: proclaim the Good News to all creation' (Mark 16:15) is addressed
to every Christian. But among Christians there are some who have
a special God-given gift for proclaiming His Word.
This
ministry is specifically a lay ministry and the Church recognises:
-
the need for the proclamation of God's Word;
-
that the person has a natural God-given ability to fulfil this need;
-
that the person needs prayer, support and guidance to carry out
this ministry.
'Let
the reader be aware of the office he has undertaken and make every
effort and employ suitable means to acquire that increasingly warm
and living love and knowledge of scripture that will will make a
more perfect disciple of the Lord.' (Motu Proprio Ministeria
quaedam of Pope Paul Vi on first tonsure, minor orders and
the subdiaconate, 15 August 1972).
We
come to realise that the ministry of reader is not just about getting
up on Sunday or during the week and reading out aloud the scripture
passages but it becomes a God-given ministry, a response to God's
call which brings about our daily conversion - we come to realise
that we are God's instrument - God is speaking His word through
us which is the Bread of Life for all eternity.
Before
considering the more technical and practical aspects of this ministry,
let us look for a moment at the things which are necessary and helpful
to a reader such as attitudes, basic commitments and the preparation
of scripture.
Chapter
Two
Attitudes and
Commitments
The
following is a list of some of the things which can lay the foundation
stones of our ministry:
-
Trust in God and in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us;
-
A sense of reverence, dignity and privilege in the service of this
sacred ministry
- The confidence
to be ourselves with all our strength s and weaknesses;
- Affirming
ourselves and others in the gifts we have been given;
- Realising
that we are God's instruments and that He works through us; that
we are actually part of the dialogue between God and his people.
As the introduction
to the Lectionary stresses, the reader is the instrument by which
'the word constantly proclaimed in the liturgy is always a living,
active word through the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the
Father's love that never fails in its effectiveness towards us'.
Understanding
the proclamation of God's Word in this light can help to take us
off the 'performer's platform' and bring us into the humbling spirit
of this wonderful ministry.
Preparation
of and praying the Scripture
We have seen
in the Introduction that the ministry is about giving God's living
Word back to the people - God's word which is the source of all
life; 'He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks
when the holy scriptures are read in the Church' (Para 7, Sacrosantum
Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy). So the
reader's true task is to enable the word to become alive and active
in those who listen.
Taking time
out for prayer and for praying the scriptures is not easy in today's
world with all its distractions. It is, however, of vital importance.
Somehow we have to make time to get off the fast track with all
its over-stimulation, passing attractions and business, which can
create such restlessness and stress in us, and to get into the slow
lane which will give us the opportunity to take time out.
For prayer we
need time to come to stillness, to listen, to dispose ourselves
and to let go of those things which hinder the growth of God's love
within us. As in any growing relationship we need to give 'the other'
our time; to be 'In him in whom we live and move and have our being'
(Acts 17:28).
Jesus tells
us to 'Go to your private room and, when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father
who sees all that is done in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:6).
It is only when
we have experienced this life-giving Spirit through prayer and the
Word of God in scripture through prayer and the Word of God in scripture
that we will thirst for more/ We will come to embrace our prayer
time with love and thanksgiving as we come to realise what wonderful
gifts are lavished upon us and what strength is given to help us
to 'Go and make the people of all nations my disciples' (Matthew
28:19).
So how do we
approach praying the Scriptures? Many people will have found, and
are happy with, their own particular way of praying over Scripture
but for those who are seeking new paths the following two ways could
perhaps be helpful. They both come from very ancient traditions
and have greatly enlightened and enriched men and women over the
centuries in their understanding of scripture. It must be stressed,
though, that there are many different ways of praying; we are, all
of us, a pilgrim people and we will, no doubt, try many different
paths before finding the particular one which is right for us.
Imaginative
contemplation of Scripture
We can think
of biblical stories are being only in the past; events in history
which have very little to do with us now in our present day. However
in order to make these stories catch fire and become alive and vibrant
it can be helpful to experience them in the light of our own life
stories. This is where imaginative contemplation of scripture will
open up the creativity within us which may be partly dormant or
have become dulled in adulthood. We need to awaken and nurture the
imaginative, creative and feeling side of our nature. In contemplating
biblical stories there can be a fusing of the past historical stories
into our own present day stories - stories which are a melting pot
of hopes, hurts, woundedness, joys, sorrow, dreams.
Contemplating
scripture in an imaginative way has a long tradition. It is very
much rooted in Ignatian spirituality which has come down to us from
the sixteenth century. It goes back, however, even further than
this. Ludolph of Saxony was a Carthusian monk who lived in the fourteenth
century and he describes this way of prayer in the preface to his
Via Christi:
'Draw close
with a devote heart to him who comes down from the bosom of the
Father to the Virgin's womb. In pure faith, be there with the angel,
like another witness, at the moment of the holy conception, and
rejoice with the Virgin Mother new with child for you. Be present
at his birth and circumcision, like a faithful guardian, with St
Joseph. go with the Wise Men to Bethlehem and adore the little king.
Help his parents carry the child and present him in the temple.
Alongside the apostles, accompany the Good Shepherd as he performs
his miracles. Be there at his death, with his blessed mother and
St John to have compassion on him and to grieve with him. Touch
his body with a kind of devout inquisitiveness, handling one by
one the wounds of your Saviour who died for you. With Mary Magdalene
seek the risen Christ until you are found worthy to find him. Look
with wonder at his ascent into heaven as though you were standing
among his disciples on the Mount of Olives. Take your place with
the apostles in conclave; hide yourselves away from external affairs
that you may be found worthy to be clothed from on high with the
power of the Holy Spirit. If you want to draw fruit from these mysteries,
you must offer yourself as present to what was said and done through
our Lord Jesus Christ with the whole affective power of your mind,
with loving care, with lingering delight, thus laying aside all
other worries and care. Hear and see these things being narrated,
as though you were hearing with your own ears and seeing with your
own eyes, for these things are most sweet to him who thinks on them
with desire, and even more so to him, who tastes them. And although
many of these things are narrated as past events, you must meditate
them all as though they were happening in the present moment, because
in this way you will certainly taste a greater sweetness. Read then
of of what has been done as though they were happening now. Bring
before your eyes past actions as though they were present. Then
you will feel how full of wisdom and delight they are.'
What beautiful
guidelines this Carthusian monk has handed down to us! We understand
from his words that it is possible to enter into the scripture scene
by way of imagination and even by way of our senses.
The Gospel scenes
are especially suitable for this kind of contemplation and it is
important to remember that in the Liturgy of the Word on Sunday
the first reading is deliberately and carefully chosen to illustrate
some aspect of the Gospel. This is why we need to mediate not only
on the texts we shall be reading but also on the Gospel passages
itself which will give us a deeper understanding of the other readings.
One last point regarding the first reading, the psalm and the second
reading: it is helpful to read not only the texts themselves but
to read around the passages - the chapters from which they are taken
- what comes before and after. This will give added insights into
the texts which necessarily have to be taken out of context for
the readings at Mass.
And so we come
to our time of prayer. You may find it helpful to prepare in the
following way:
1. Find a place
where you can be quiet and undisturbed in order to open yourself
to the presence of God declaring your dependency on Him
2. Ask for the
gift of understanding and enlightenment; for the gift of trust and
confidence in God's love and a readiness to let God teach you to
pray.
3. Take the
texts and read them slowly several times, For imaginative contemplation
look at the scene with your mind's eye and ask yourself:
- Is the scene
in a town or in the country?
- What is the
landscape like?
- What are people
doing?
- What are they
talking about?
When the scene
becomes alive for us in this way we can then engage in imaginary
conversation with the characters. We will enter fully into the scene.
We will encounter Jesus who enlightened and healed 2,000 years ago
and who continues to heal and enlighten us in the here and now and
who directly relates to the events and circumstances of our everyday
life. We have moved from just being an observer on the sidelines
to being fully involved in the story which although begun in the
past is even unfolding and breaking through into the present.
We may find
that distractions come into the scene - our own life experiences
mingling with that of the Biblical scene. This can enable us to
be drawn more fully and enter more deeply into the experience. It
becomes part of the contemplation. We let the imagination lead but
we keep returning to the focus of our attention which will always
be leading us to a deeper relationship with Jesus, with God.
There will be
some texts which are not necessarily pictorial or visual but are
more abstract in substance, as in some of the letters of St Paul.
The imagination can still be at work here but it will perhaps be
more at a feeling, intuitive, perceptive level. The words from the
scripture passage will be drawn down from the mind, with its intellectual,
rational, logical concepts and understanding into the heart which
will break into and touch the deeper level of consciousness.
We can see,
then, that if we actively use our imagination with an attitude of
faith, trust and a desire to come closer in our relationship of
God, we enable ourselves to be more open to the power and to the
mystery of God's transforming presence, of his transforming love
within us.
'Glory be to
him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we ask
or imagine' (Ephesians 3:30).
Lectio
Divina: Reading, Meditating, Praying
This second
way of praying the scriptures has a long history and is associated
particularly with the Benedictines. In the days when books were
few and not many people cloud read, a monk would stand up and read
to his community a passage of scripture slowly, repeating it over
and over again. One by one, the monks would get up and go out, not
because they were bored or because they thought badly of the reading,
but because they had got hold of a word, a phrase they could savour,
Their prayer had begun.
The Benedictines
got this method of prayer from the desert fathers via Cassian. At
the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century, Cassian
was a link between the desert fathers and western monasticism. His
aim was unceasing prayer. In his Institutes and Conference,
he expounds praying the scriptures. He describes it as the
way to be ever mindful of God and to progress toward purity of heart.
'It is the poverty of the verse that is the key. There is the dependence
on Christ and helplessness expressed by the words themselves, certainly,
but more significant is the poverty of clinging to those few words
from the word of God rather than to the "rich and full material
of all manner of thoughts@. Choosing attentiveness rather than inquisitiveness,
one fulfils the beatitude "Blessed are the poor in spirit";
one acquires innocence and discernment and is prepared for true
knowledge of God.'
We see that
this is a very different way of praying over scripture from the
pictorial, visual one where we engage the imagination in as much
richness as possible, It is perhaps a more difficult way of prayer
for us in the West as we tend to have such busy, distracted, complex
minds. However, it is a way of prayer through which we can be led
to stillness, to simplicity. 'Be still and know that I am God' (Psalm
46:10). It is important to acknowledge both ways of prayer. They
have stood the test of time and anything which helps us to recognise
God who is in every respect of our life and who calls us to greater
fulfillment for our own growth and for the good of others is worth
considering.
This way of
prayer, then seems very suited to those parts of scripture which
are reflective and contemplative and would be appropriate for passages
such as certain Psalms, Wisdom literature, passage from Isaiah or
St John and some of the texts from the letters of St Paul.
You can prepare
for your prayer time in the same way as you prepared for the imaginative
contemplation by going through the three preliminary stages of preparation.
When you have
read the text through several times you may find that you notice
in particular a certain word or phrase which will as it were 'leap
out of the page'. This will be God's Word, alive and active, communicating
with you - God personally addressing you in the here and now. As
you re-read the text, dwell upon and savour those words and phrases
which have been shown to you - to which you have felt drawn.
You may find
distractions come into your mind from the daily events of your life
and will mingle with the reading. Acknowledge the distractions but
move gently back to the reading, to the word or phrase to which
you have felt drawn and slowly keep repeating it over and over again
letting it flood your whole being.
Contemplating
the Word of God like this is one of the many ways in which our love
of scripture will be developed. It will give us new insight and
a deeper understanding of ourselves,s of others and of our relationship
with God, our loving Father. It will become for us a heartfelt experience
and this will be reflected in the way we read. We will come to 'own'
the scripture passages and in doing so it will become more meaningful
and communicate more strongly with those who listen.
'Out of his
infinite glory may he give you the power through his Spirit for
your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your
hearts through faith, and then, planted on love and built on love,
you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth
and length, the height and depth; until knowing the love of Christ,
which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness
of God.' (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Chapter
3
Proclaiming the Word
It
is God who calls us o ministry and so he calls certain people to
be readers - to proclaim His Word in the celebration of Mass. The
human voice is one of the most remarkable and beautiful instruments
that we have. It is important however to understand something of
its mechanism and potential. We may possess a light weight, soft-grained
type of voice or a very incisive strong voice - with we way we need
to know how to manage it in relation to the style of the text, to
the size of the church, the number of people and to the particular
microphone which we will be using. Without going into too much detail
let us consider briefly some of the things to aim at which will
help us in proclaiming God's Word to the assembly.
Do
remember at this point that we always need to be ourselves, acknowledging
and affirming everything that makes us the unique person that we
are. We need to keep this in mind as, delving more deeply, we strive
to develop our ministry.
Reading
out aloud is no use if the sound of the voice is not heard. The
key to volume or loudness in speaking is breathing and breath control.
We only need to know one or two things about our breathing and the
mot important thing to know is that when we breath in, the air expands
the rib cage like a balloon and the diaphragm goes down and out,
not in and up. We also need to be aware that the abdominal muscles
act as the 'legs' or the support of our voice production; we allow
these muscles to pull down and outwards, thus allowing the diaphragm
more room to expand to the very base. So we need a deep, low intake
of breath and the ability to release that intake in a gradual and
controlled way.
This
control of the muscles on the out-going breath, which gradually
permits the diaphragm and ribcage to return to their original positions,
allow the voice to be firmly rooted and to be well supported by
a controlled, steady pressure of breath.
However,
don;t worry too much about 'feeling' all this - just keep breathing,
knowing that we expand like a pair of bellows in the rib and stomach
area on the intake of breath and all will be well.
Another
essential part of good breathing is our posture which is of the
utmost importance. Without feeling rigid we need to feel that our
bodies are in a stretched , alert and fully upright position. In
this way we affirm our personhood, the gift of life. 'You are the
light of the world' (Matthew 5:14).
Practising
aloud
Until
we have become very experienced in public reading, practising aloud
on our own or together with a friend who can offer positive criticism,
will help us to understand in just how many different and varied
ways we can use our voice. It will enable us to practise the breath
control for some of those very long Pauline sentences and phrases
which we come across in the second reading. It is also helpful while
practising to paraphrase those difficult phrases and make the punctuation
our own in order to understand more clearly Paul's message. reading
aloud will also help us to realise how much we need to articulate
the consonants and the ends of words - how important it is to understand
that it is the tongue which gives clear diction and not just an
over-mouthing of the words. These vowels and consonants are the
very building blocks of our speech and they need to be well articulated
so that our readings become vibrant and clear.
Working
with a tape recorder can also have its uses and can help in such
things as tempo, articulations, colour and so on. It must be said,
however, that this way of practising is not for every one. Another
area which can be helped by practice is the pronunciation of difficult
names which can lead to much stumbling if we have not already got
our tongues round them in privacy of our home. They need to be practised
really slowly , the tongue become familiar with each syllable. A
very good aid is the Reader's Handbook published by the
C.T.S. which contains a pronunciation guide to difficult Biblical
names.
Fear
and nerves
Fear
and nerves can play a great part in inhibiting the free flow of
the bodice which, instead of being able to function in a flexible
and natural way, can become tight, monotone and restricted. This
can be helped by our attitudes - knowing, for example that we are
among friends and that God is using our gifts for his purpose. Good
breathing can also help us to calm down and be physically more in
control and practising aloud at home will help enormously with our
confidence.
Voice
modulation
Practice
also helps us to improve on voice modulation. There are three basic
ways to do this:
-
changing the speed of speaking;
-
changing the pitch of the voice;
-
changing the volume and intensity of the voice.
In
public speaking it is absolutely essential to speak slower than
normal conversation - the actual delivery must be slower, giving
time to sound each syllable clearly. However, bearing in mind the
slower speed, one still needs to modulate the reading by varying
the pace. For example, faster reading can indicate excitement; reading
more slowly can give emphasis to different words and statements.
We also need to be confident about regulating our already experienced
in a heartfelt way as we prayed over and prepared our readings at
home. We are delivering not just words but a message. A flat, dull,
monotonous delivery reduces scripture to mere words and will soon
put people off listening. We have killed the message. We have to
learn to read with expression, modulating and inflecting our voice,
using subtle little changes in the volume and speed of delivery,
so that the words have life. We must allow God to communicate his
Word through us with all the colour, love, passion and beauty of
which we are capable.
Regional
and ethnic accents
It
is important to value, respect and affirm regional and ethnic accents.
They are part of our roots and the rich heritage to which we all
belong. We should be proud that they are still preserved in our
mother sound. Fortunately Britain is still very rich in accents
and dialects. It must be said, however, that these native sounds
have been and still can be undermined, neutralized by 'class', by
schools and by the media. These problems go very deep into our social
structures and touch on many complex, sensitive issues. Suffice
it to say that we always need to value and celebrate the richness
and variety of our mother sounds and not be discouraged if we should
ever encounter prejudice.
Pauses
and silences
There
are three particularly useful ways to employ pauses:
Initial
Pause
It is very important to pause before you begin. Inexperienced readers
launch into their readings immediately with the result that the
first two or three lines are lost. Try not to begin until you feel
that people have settled down and are ready to listen attentively.
Look up at the people and then announce 'A reading from ...', and
pause for a moment before beginning to read. When you have finished
the reading, pause for a moment, look at the people and then say
'This is t he Word of the Lord.' Looking up and getting our heads
out of the Lectionary is os important and we should always strive
at least to do this at the beginning and the end of our readings.
Remember that we are the instrument of the personal dialogue between
God and his people so we need to address the people as personally
as we can, in particular by eye contact.
Dividing
pauses
The length of pauses should be varied to express the degree
of division or diversity of thought. They are also used to divide
paragraphs and phrases and are used for punctuation marks.
Stress
pauses
We can pauses to highlight different words or short phrases.
This will bring out a dramatic or important point which will give
weight to what we are reading.
Don't
be afraid of silence. God also dwells there. As Meister
Eckhart, that great medieval mystic wrote: 'Nothing in all creation
is so like God as stillness'. It is very helpful for the listener
if there is a short silence before and after the psalm and before
the Gospel acclamation to allow people to reflect briefly on what
they have heard. This gives time for the words to sink in and take
root, giving nourishment to sustain people as they go about their
daily lives. As readers we are not just reading the word but feeding
the word those who listen.
The
use of the microphone
As
has already been said, we must be heard. It can seem strange hearing
our own voice amplified and this fact may well inhibit us from proclaiming
the Word in a strong and confident manner.
Let
us for a moment think back to the time of Jesus. In his day there
were no microphones and so people were used to using their voices
in a very strong and projected way. What a wonderful powerful voice
Jesus himself must have had as he spoke to the crowds - with what
vitality, urgency and passion he must have spoken as he inspired
his listeners with his proclamation of the Kingdom. Thinking back
and contemplating on these things can inspire us in our own ministry
as we come into the understanding that we are indeed speaking on
behalf of the writers of the Old and New Testaments.
A
useful exercise is to practise the reading without the microphone.
You will be aware of how very much harder you have to work on everything
and this includes the very soft speaking which is so important for
emphasis. Speaking softly to underline important points can be just
as effective as something said very loudly but it does still require
energy and the right kind of projection. When you return to the
microphone with the same reading notice how much easier everything
is - the whole thing will be more energised and confident.
Eye
contact
It
is said that the eye is the mirror of the soul. If this is so, then
we need to get our heads up and out of the Lectionary as much as
possible. We have seen how important it is to begin and end our
readings looking at the people. As we become more familiar with
our texts, there will be many words and phrases which we will want
to share with people by looking at them. It does strengthen communication
and can bring even more alive something that has been shown to us
in a heartfelt way in our prayer time. This, of course, needs a
great deal of experience, courage and confidence but it is something
which we can work towards. So we can start in a small way with perhaps
deciding on just one phrase or word when we can look up. It is helpful
to use your finger to mark the place in the Lectionary when you
look up. This is a way to ensure that you do not lose your place
when you look down again. Some lecterns need a small block of wood
to enable the Lectionary to be more raised. This means that the
people listening will not just see the tops of our heads but will
see the whole of our face. This is so important as our whole countenance
can express and radiate in a fully human way the very creativeness
of the Word of God in the Scripture.
Distractions
There
is nothing very much we can do about this except to know that there
will be distractions - babies crying, children falling off pews,
people with loud hacking coughs and so on. In this circumstances
the most important thing is to keep the concentration going on as
strongly as possible and focus in even more on what the message
of the text is saying rather than being drawn into the distractions.
Dress
If
we have a sense of reverence and dignity towards the service of
this sacred ministry then we will want to dress appropriately. If
the attention of the listener is drawn visually towards a mode of
dress which is flamboyant, over-revealing (and this refers mainly
to female readers) or, on the other hand, very sloppy and untidy,
then the listener will be distracted and will find it more difficult
to concentrate and be drawn fully into the scripture reading. So
dress should always be discreet.
At
a glance
Here
is a list of words beginning with P which can quickly put us in
touch with some of the things we need to remember about this ministry:
Prayer,
Praise, Preparation, Proclamation,Practice, Posture, Pleasure, Passion,
Pause, Pace, Pitch, Punctuation, Parentheses, Paragraphs, Phrasing,
Power (of the Word), Presence (of God).
Reading
about all this process of preparation can seem terribly daunting
but putting it into practice will, of course, take much less time
and become easier the more experienced we become as readers. We
must always remember anyway that, like prayer, we read as we can
and not as we can't.
Chapter
Four
The Lectionary
It
is important that we know our way around the three volumes of the
Lectionary which are used at Mass, Volume 1 (red binding) covers
all Sundays and Solemnities plus the weekdays of the Advent, Christmas,
Lent and Easter seasons. Volume 2 (Blue binding) covers the weekdays
of Ordinary Time and saints' days while Volume 3 (brown binding)
has readings for special occasions. Information about what day is
being celebrated will be found in the Diocesan Liturgical Calendar
which can be found in the Diocesan Directory.
The
Sunday readings follow a three-year cycle - A, B and C - and a two-year
cycle for weekdays - I and II. For year A most of the Gospel readings
are taken from St Matthew: year B belongs to St Mark and year C
to St Luke. These three Synoptic Gospels ('synoptic' meaning 'with
the same view' or literally 'able to be seen together') deal with
our Lord's public life and teaching. The Gospel of St John concentrates
more on the deeper spiritual significance of Jesus' life and it
is always St John's account of the Passion that we hear on God Friday.
Other extracts from St John;s Gospel are read every year on the
weekdays of Lent and Easter and from the 17th to the 21st Sundays
of Ordinary time in Year B.
The
readings for the Mass have been chosen with great care and on Sundays
follow a very definite pattern. The first reading is usually taken
from the Old Testament. As has already been said, this first reading
has been deliberately and carefully chosen to illustrate some aspect
of the Gospel of the day. Between Easter and Pentecost the first
readings are not from the Old Testament but are taken from the New
Testament. These readings tell us about the growth of the first
Christian communities as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
The
psalm of the day has been chosen as a response to the first reading.
The second reading concentrates on Christian living and many of
these readings are taken from the Letters of St Paul.
We
need to pause here for a moment and consider very briefly the wonderful
variety and contrasting styles of the different writers which we
find in Scripture.
Gerald
W Hughes writes in his book The God of Surprise that:
'the Old Testament may be describes as a faith autobiography
of Israel. The Jews reflected on their history, a very messy and
shameful history, with its brief moments of glory under King David,
its long years of infidelity to God, of defeat, humiliation and
captivity. They began to see their history in a new way, as a history
of salvation in and through disaster and tribulation. Salvation
history still continues in you and me. The Spirit who lived in Jesus
and raised him from the dead, now lives in us and is at work in
the events of our lives.'
The
Bible, then, is a work of great historical interest, charting the
history of the Jewish people over centuries and exploring the origins
and growth of the Christian Church. It is also a considerable work
of literature, containing wonderful stories, beautiful poetry and
songs, great struggles, exciting narratives and memorable characters.
All these different styles have to be taken into account when we
proclaim the Word of God to the assembly. There needs to be a difference
between the poetry of an Isaiah text and, for example, one of the
letters of St Paul which might need to be more conversational. A
text from Genesis or Exodus would contrast strongly with the prayerful
beauty of some of the psalms. This is where technique can help our
reading; where voice modulation can do so much to colour the different
styles with which we have to deal.
Chapter
Five
Putting into practice
Before
Mass starts the readers should let the priest or MC know that they
are present. They should check that the Lectionary is open at the
correct place and that the microphone is on and adjusted to their
height. If there are two readers of different heights then the angle
of the microphone should be adjusted to suit the needs of each reader.
Another point regarding height: if the reader is not very tall it
will be a great help to use a small platform or stool so that they
are properly seen and can proclaim the Word more freely and openly
rather than being hidden by the Lectionary. In addition, before
the beginning of Mass the readers should find out if the psalm and
Gospel Acclamation are being sung.
Customs
vary from parish to parish. The church recommends that the reader
should carry the Book of the Gospels or the Lectionary in the entrance
procession (if no deacon is present). This is a vivid sign of Christ
present in his word coming into the midst of his people. If there
is more than one reader, then both readers may enter in the procession
with one of them carrying the book. If it is the Book of Gospels
that is carried then this is placed on the altar as reminder that
we are being fed from the Table of God's word. It is then carried
to the lectern in the Gospel procession. If the book is the Lectionary,
the reader should place it directly in the sanctuary or, if desired,
may go to their places in the main body of the church. If the readers
are not part of the entrance procession, they should take their
places in the main body of the church, near the front.
Only
once the opening prayer has finished and the people have responded
'Amen' and have sat down should you leave your place. To move when
it is finished also emphasises that the introductory Rite has been
concluded and the Liturgy of the Word is about to begin. As good
general rule is that people should not be moving when some other
action is taking place, thus making as little disturbance as possible.
Ideally
the reader should move easily from the body of the church to the
centre of the sanctuary, bow to the altar and then go to the lectern.
some parishes may have to adapt because of the that particular lay-out
of their church. It is common practise that were there are two readers,
both go to the sanctuary together, bow to the altar and take their
places, one at the lectern, the other at a seat to the side of the
lectern. If the psalm is being sun, both readers sit together until
the singing is finished. The second reader will then come to the
lectern.
The
above points refer to an average sized church. Naturally things
will have to be adapted if the sanctuary is very small or if a small
chapel is being used.
Read
always from the Lectionary and never from a missalette or Mass booklet
and do not read the phrase in italic printed after the title of
the reading.
Start
with the phrase 'A reading from ...' exactly as printed and not
the 'the first reading is a reading from ...' At the end of the
reading pause for a moment, look up at the people and then say 'This
is the Word of the Lord'.
If
the psalm is being sung then return to your place or take a seat
in the sanctuary. if there are two readers then it is better to
remain in the sanctuary. Ideally the psalm should be sung but if
it is being recited then it can be done in various ways (see the
General Instruction on the Lectionary for full details).
a)
The traditional method of reciting a psalm
There
is no need to say 'The Responsorial Psalm;' or 'The Response is
...' because people know that it is that. Read the response through
once; the people will repeat the response after you. Then read through
each verse of the Psalm, with the people making the response after
each verse.
b)
The common recitation method
Here
the response can be said once by the reader and people and then
the people join in reciting out loud the verses if the psalm with
the response once more at the end. A variation on this is for the
two sides of the church to say alternate verses.
Check
with the priest before Mass begins which method of the psalm is
being used. It cannot be overstressed that the nest practice is
for the psalm to be sung and not said or replaced by a hymn.
Allow
a brief pause before continuing with the next reading if there is
one. Again, start with the phrase 'A reading from ...' and not the
'The second reading is a reading from ...'
The
Lectionary stresses that the Gospel acclamation must be sung!
On
Easter Sunday and Pentecost there is a Sequence (a form of hymn)
which is obligatory. This comes after the second reading and before
the Gospel Acclamation. Check with the priest whether this is to
be read or sung. If it is to be sung as a hymn then it may need
announcing. On Easter Sunday a hymn version is 'Christ the Lord
is risen today' or 'Bring all ye dear bought nations bring' while
on Pentecost a hymn will be found in most hymn books. There are
two other days on which there is a sequence but on these occasions
it is optional - the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Thursday
after Trinity Sunday) and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (15
September).
For
the Gospel, the Homily and the Profession of Faith, either return
to your place in the body of the church or to a seat in the sanctuary.
If you leave the sanctuary, it is always best to leave from the
front, bowing to the altar before you depart. Walk slowly - there
is no need to hurry. If there are two readers both can remain in
the sanctuary or depart together.
After
the Profession of Faith (the Creed), comes the General Intercession
or Bidding Prayer. The priest briefly introduces the intercessions
in the form of an invitation addressed to the congregation to pray.
There follows a series of petitions or intentions which are read
at the lectern by the deacon (if one is present) or by the cantor
or reader.
The
petitions are normally:
a)
for the needs of the Universal Church;
b)
for the needs of the nation and of the human race at large;
c)
for classes of people who have special needs;
d)
for the congregation and the local community.
Each
intention should be phrased 'We pray for ...' or 'Let us pray for
...' or 'For ... '. They should not be prayers in themselves and
should not be addressed to God.
At
the end of each intention there should be a pause of about five
seconds to allow people to pray before the reader seeks their response
in one of the following ways:
