The Lector
The
Lector's Ministerial Function
Mere
reading is not the main function of the lector. We are not
baptized in order to read or to listen to readings but in
order to celebrate Jesus Christ who is present in his Word.
In the same way as the priest presents the consecrated bread
for the adoration of the assembly, so the lector has the
tremendous responsibility to present Jesus Christ to the
congregation. The lector is really a prophet, that is, the
one who carries the Word of God. He must fulfill the mystery
of the Word which Vatican II presents in the following way"
"[Christ} is present in His Word since it is He Himself
who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the church."
Who
Can Read for the Assembly!
In
the time of Christ, all without exception could be invited
to read the Word of God, including women and minors and
even slaves. At the time of Vatican II, only men could read.
So said the 1969 Order of Mass, article 66: "Woman
may read only when no man is there; but in that case, they
must stay outside the sanctuary."
Let
us say this again one more time: the reading of the Word
should not be a battlefield for sexual segregation. Obviously,
the rule should be the following: let the one read who does
this ministry the best, man or woman. One notes, moreover,
that the majority of communities could not observe the discrimination
which the Roman Missal mentions. And in come countries,
assigning the ministry to either men or woman has become
an official practice.
In
face, communities are tempted to practice great generosity
by calling anyone and everyone to this ministry under the
pretext that everyone know how to read, even if they are
not prepared. To ask a volunteer to read the sacred text
one minute before the Entrance Song is to take the risk
of letting the Word be disfigured, of dulling the cutting
of this sword (cd. Heb.4:12) which must penetrate our hearts
to make there extraordinary wounds for life to enter. Whoever
takes this risk, priest or faithful, must answer for it
at the tribunal of God, just as the one who would treat
unworthy the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist.(cf.
I Cor.11:29).
Number
of Lectors
Let
us remember that in the Jewish tradition relative to the
synogogal office, the reading was proclaimed not by a single
reader but ordinarily by three, sometimes even seven, on
the Sabbaths and on feasts. This disposition was rich in
spiritual significance: the Word does not belong to any
one person. It cannot be monopolized; it is the property
of the whole community. It is the whole assembly which listens
to it; it is also in some way the whole assembly which proclaims
it.
Without
getting too involved in paralleling out the readings, we
could at least avoid halving the same minister proclaim
all the reading one after another. Following the General
Instructions of the roman Missal, article 67, we could
at least recognize the role of the psalmist for the Responsorial
Psalm. Which is an answer to the first reading.
Also,
we could select a particular reader for each reading. This
is to underline usefully the difference and the specific
feature of each biblical passage.
